Florida SB 1144: Hope Florida

Bill Text

1144 
Recording of Protective Investigations 
2026-01-05T12:06:48Z 
Requiring that interviews conducted pursuant to protective investigations be audio or video recorded; providing exceptions; providing that persons charged with certain criminal offenses do not have standing to object to an investigator’s failure to record such an interview; providing that an investigator’s failure to record such an interview is not grounds for precluding certain statements from certain proceedings, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1144 

 By Senator Rodriguez 

 40-00250A-26 20261144__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the recording of protective 
 3 investigations; amending s. 39.301, F.S.; requiring 
 4 that interviews conducted pursuant to protective 
 5 investigations be audio or video recorded; providing 
 6 exceptions; providing that persons charged with 
 7 certain criminal offenses do not have standing to 
 8 object to an investigator’s failure to record such an 
 9 interview; providing that an investigator’s failure to 
 10 record such an interview is not grounds for precluding 
 11 certain statements from certain proceedings; requiring 
 12 the retention of certain recordings for a specified 
 13 period; providing an effective date. 
 14 
 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 16 
 17 Section 1. Subsection (25) is added to section 39.301, 
 18 Florida Statutes, to read: 
 19 39.301 Initiation of protective investigations.— 
 20 (25)(a) An interview conducted pursuant to this section 
 21 must be audio or video recorded, using a body camera or other 
 22 reasonable means of recording, except in any of the following 
 23 circumstances: 
 24 1. The recording equipment malfunctions, and the 
 25 malfunction is not the result of a failure to maintain the 
 26 equipment properly or to provide adequate supplies for the 
 27 equipment. 
 28 2. Due to circumstances that could not reasonably be 
 29 foreseen by the investigator, he or she does not have the 
 30 necessary recording equipment available. 
 31 (b) A person who is charged with a criminal offense 
 32 involving the abuse or neglect of a child does not have standing 
 33 to object to an investigator’s failure to comply with paragraph 
 34 (a). An investigator’s failure to comply with paragraph (a) is 
 35 not grounds for precluding any statements made during an 
 36 interview which are otherwise admissible in a legal proceeding, 
 37 including a criminal or dependency proceeding. 
 38 (c) A recording created pursuant to this section must be 
 39 retained for at least 5 years. 
 40 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.