Florida Senate - 2025 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1444
Ì6331660Î633166
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RS .
04/16/2025 .
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The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
(Collins) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 70 - 223
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Effective July 1, 2025, subsection (7) is added
6 to section 112.1815, Florida Statutes, to read:
7 112.1815 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical
8 technicians, and law enforcement officers; special provisions
9 for employment-related accidents and injuries.—
10 (7) An individual who is certified as a first responder and
11 who has a physical disability resulting from an amputation may
12 continue to serve as a first responder if he or she meets the
13 first responder certification requirements without an
14 accommodation.
15 Section 2. Effective July 1, 2025, section 112.195, Florida
16 Statutes, is created to read:
17 112.195 Florida Medal of Valor and Florida Blue/Red Heart
18 Medal.—
19 (1)(a) There is created the Florida Medal of Valor for
20 first responders as defined in s. 112.1815 and related
21 personnel. The medal may be awarded only to a first responder or
22 related personnel who goes above and beyond the call of duty to
23 save the life of an individual.
24 (b) There is created the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal. The
25 medal shall be awarded to a law enforcement officer,
26 firefighter, correctional officer, or correctional probation
27 officer who is injured in the line of duty.
28 (2) The Governor, or his or her designee, may present the
29 awards. The awards shall be issued and administered through the
30 Department of Law Enforcement. A resident of this state or an
31 employing agency in this state must apply for the Florida Medal
32 of Valor or the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal on behalf of the
33 potential recipient.
34 (3)(a) An application for a medal under this section must
35 be considered and acted upon by a board charged with the duty of
36 evaluating the appropriateness of the application. The board
37 shall be composed of five members as follows:
38 1. Three members appointed by the Governor.
39 2. One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
40 Representatives.
41 3. One member appointed by the President of the Senate.
42 (b) Members of the board shall serve 2-year terms. Any
43 vacancy on the board must be filled within 3 months. At least
44 three board members must be active, retired, or former law
45 enforcement officers or firefighters.
46 Section 3. Section 316.2675, Florida Statutes, is created
47 to read:
48 316.2675 Motor vehicle kill switches; prohibited uses.—
49 (1) A person may not use a device that allows a person,
50 other than the person in physical control of a motor vehicle, to
51 shut off that vehicle’s engine or prevent the engine from
52 starting. This subsection does not apply to any of the
53 following:
54 (a) A law enforcement officer in the course of his or her
55 duties in order to prevent the commission of a felony.
56 (b) Any subscription, membership, or other recurring
57 payment programs or leased electronic consumer products, which
58 are used with the consent of the owner of the vehicle.
59 (c) A mechanism or feature that is used with the consent of
60 the owner of the vehicle and:
61 1. Addresses an imminent critical safety issue impacting a
62 mechanical or software component of a motor vehicle;
63 2. Activates when a driver of a motor vehicle is
64 incapacitated, suffers a medical emergency, or experiences a
65 loss of consciousness;
66 3. Takes corrective action in a motor vehicle with an
67 engaged partial driving automation feature if the driver is not
68 attentive or engaged in the driving task and does not respond to
69 warnings;
70 4. Brings a motor vehicle with an engaged automated driving
71 system to a minimal-risk condition; or
72 5. Automatically shuts off the engine or motor of an idling
73 motor vehicle that has been left on for an extended period of
74 time while in the park position.
75 (2) A person who violates subsection (1) commits a
76 misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.
77 775.082 or s. 775.083.
78 Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 775.0823, Florida
79 Statutes, is amended to read:
80 775.0823 Violent offenses committed against specified
81 justice system personnel.—The Legislature does hereby provide
82 for an increase and certainty of penalty for any person
83 convicted of a violent offense against any law enforcement or
84 correctional officer, as defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6),
85 (7), (8), or (9); against any state attorney elected pursuant to
86 s. 27.01 or assistant state attorney appointed under s. 27.181;
87 against any public defender elected pursuant to s. 27.50 or
88 regional counsel appointed pursuant to s. 27.511(3); against any
89 court-appointed counsel appointed under s. 27.40 or defense
90 attorney in a criminal proceeding; or against any justice or
91 judge of a court described in Art. V of the State Constitution,
92 which offense arises out of or in the scope of the officer’s
93 duty as a law enforcement or correctional officer, the state
94 attorney’s or assistant state attorney’s duty as a prosecutor or
95 investigator, the public defender or regional counsel acting in
96 his or her capacity as defense counsel, the court-appointed
97 counsel or defense attorney in a criminal proceeding acting in
98 his or her capacity as defense counsel, or the justice’s or
99 judge’s duty as a judicial officer, as follows:
100 (2) For attempted murder in the first degree as described
101 in s. 782.04(1), a sentence pursuant to s. 775.082, s. 775.083,
102 or s. 775.084 with a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years
103 imprisonment.
104
105 Notwithstanding s. 948.01, with respect to any person who is
106 found to have violated this section, adjudication of guilt or
107 imposition of sentence shall not be suspended, deferred, or
108 withheld.
109 Section 5. Section 790.051, Florida Statutes, is amended to
110 read:
111 790.051 Exemption from licensing requirements; law
112 enforcement officers.—Law enforcement officers and correctional
113 probation officers, as defined in s. 943.10(3), are exempt from
114 the licensing and penal provisions of this chapter when acting
115 at any time within the scope or course of their official duties
116 or when acting at any time in the line of or performance of
117 duty.
118 Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
119 790.052, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
120 790.052 Carrying concealed firearms; off-duty law
121 enforcement officers.—
122 (1)(a) All persons holding active certifications from the
123 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission as law
124 enforcement officers or correctional officers as defined in s.
125 943.10(1), (2), (6), (7), (8), or (9), all judges, and all state
126 attorneys and assistant state attorneys shall have the right to
127 carry, on or about their persons, concealed firearms, during
128 off-duty hours, at the discretion of their superior officers,
129 and may perform those law enforcement functions that they
130 normally perform during duty hours, utilizing their weapons in a
131 manner which is reasonably expected of on-duty officers in
132 similar situations.
133 Section 7. Subsection (4) is added to section 817.49,
134 Florida Statutes, to read:
135 817.49 False reports of commission of crimes; penalty.—
136 (4) The Legislature finds that the false reporting of
137 crimes is a threat to public safety and a threat to the safety
138 of law enforcement officers and other first responders. As such,
139 the Legislature encourages each state attorney to adopt a pro
140 prosecution policy for the false reporting of crimes as
141 prohibited in this section.
142
143 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
144 And the title is amended as follows:
145 Delete lines 2 - 27
146 and insert:
147 An act relating to public safety; amending s.
148 112.1815, F.S.; authorizing first responder amputees
149 to continue to serve as first responders under certain
150 circumstances; creating s. 112.195, F.S.; creating the
151 Florida Medal of Valor and the Florida Blue/Red Heart
152 Medal; providing requirements for such medals;
153 creating a board to evaluate applications for awarding
154 such medals; providing for board membership; creating
155 s. 316.2675, F.S.; prohibiting the use of motor
156 vehicle kill switches; providing exceptions; providing
157 criminal penalties; amending s. 775.0823, F.S.;
158 providing a minimum mandatory sentence for attempted
159 murder of specified justice system personnel; amending
160 s. 790.051, F.S.; providing correctional probation
161 officers with the same firearms rights as law
162 enforcement officers; amending s. 790.052, F.S.;
163 providing that specified persons may carry concealed
164 firearms under certain circumstances and use them in
165 the same manner as on-duty law enforcement officers;
166 amending s. 817.49, F.S.; providing legislative
167 findings concerning prosecution of the false reporting
168 of crimes; amending s. 951.27,