Injunctions for Protection in Cases of Repeat or Serious Violence

This bill is about what happens when someone uses sexual acts to hurt someone else, in Florida.

• If passed, this bill will change many parts of Florida law to:

  • Update the term "repeat violence" to "repeat or serious violence."  

  • Define "repeat or serious violence" as:  

    • The person a protection order is about has been violent or stalked the person trying to get the protection order or their family member two times. 

      • one of the times was within 6 months of when the paperwork to get the protection order was turned in

      • Protection order: a demand from a court telling someone hurting someone else to stop and sets certain rules to stop them from hurting the person again.

      • Stalking: repeatedly following or bothering someone when they do not want to be followed or bothered.

    • One time the person trying to get the protective order was hurt physically; or

    • A death threat made by the person the protective order is about against the person trying to get the protective order.

      • Death threat: Someone saying seriously that they are going to end another person’s life.

  • Include “serious or repeat violence” in the reasons for someone to get a protection order.  

  • Change the name of this reason to "an injunction for protection in cases of repeat or serious violence," instead of just "in cases of repeat violence."  

  • Restarts parts of Florida law that cover topics like: 

    • Seeing official paperwork online 

    • finding info for child support services

      • Child support services: work to keep children in Florida safe, and making sure that parents are doing what they are supposed to do according to the law.

    • The Hope Card Program for people with protection orders

      • The Hope Card Program: a statewide program providing a free, easy-to-use card to people with a protection order to let police know if they are in danger.

    • Recognizing of foreign protection orders, which are protection orders given by courts in different states.

    • Risk protection orders, which are when a court stops someone from buying a gun for a specific amount of time because it is clear they are dangerous to themself or others.

    • lawful warrantless arrests, which is when a police officer arrests someone without written permission, because the police officer saw them breaking the law, or something else dangerous happened.

    • Programs that help stop people from getting arrested.

    • Actions that can lead to getting killed for committing a very bad crime or having to spend the rest of life in prison in: 

      • capital crimes, which are the worst crimes a person can do,

      • sex crimes, which are when someone breaks the law by hurting someone with sexual acts 

      • human trafficking cases, which is where people make money off of making other people do sexual acts.

    • Using technology that tracks where another person is.