Florida HB 1127: Pub. Rec. and Meetings/Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact

Bill Text

HB 1127 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1127-00
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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to victims of violence; providing a 2
short title; amending s. 776.012, F.S.; defining 3
terms; creating a rebuttable presumption that persons 4
who use force in accordance with specified provisions 5
against a known abuser act with a reasonable fear of 6
imminent peril of death or great bodily harm; 7
specifying when the rebuttable presumption applies; 8
requiring a court to instruct a jury regarding the 9
existence of the rebuttable presumption and the shift 10
in the burden of proof if the rebuttable presumption 11
applies; authorizing the court to determine whether 12
the defendant has met the rebuttable presumption; 13
specifying the admissibility of specified evidence at 14
trial; creating s. 943.1721, F.S.; requiring the 15
Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with 16
specified persons, to develop, implement, and mandate 17
an evidence-based, trauma-informed training program 18
for specified persons; providing training program 19
requirements; requiring the department to adopt rules 20
and submit annual reports beginning on a specified 21
date; creating s. 947.271, F.S.; requiring the Florida 22
Commission on Offender Review to establish the 23
Survivor Self-Defense Case Review Panel; requiring the 24
panel to perform specified tasks; requiring the 25

HB 1127 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1127-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

commission to adopt rules and submit annual reports 26
beginning on a specified date; providing an effective 27
date. 28
29
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 30
31
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Survivor Safety 32
Act." 33
Section 2. Section 776.012, Florida Statutes, is amended 34
to read: 35
776.012 Use or threatened use of force in defense of 36
person.— 37
(1) As used in this section, the term: 38
(a) "Child" has the same meaning as in s. 39.01. 39
(b) "Documented history" means the existence of one or 40
more of any of the following records regarding a person and a 41
known abuser: 42
1. A valid and unexpired injunction issued for protection 43
against domestic violence under s. 741.30 or repeat violence, 44
sexual violence, or dating violence under s. 784.046. 45
2. A prior sworn criminal complaint, police report, arrest 46
affidavit, or conviction record evidencing an act of domestic 47
violence as defined in s. 741.28 or dating violence as defined 48
in s. 784.046. 49
3. Medical records or forensic examination reports 50

HB 1127 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1127-00
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documenting injuries consistent with domestic violence, repeat 51
violence, sexual violence, or dating violence attributed to the 52
known abuser. 53
4. Certified records from a domestic violence center or 54
similar agency documenting the person's status as a victim of 55
abuse by the known abuser. 56
(c) "Known abuser" means the recorded perpetrator of 57
domestic violence, repeat violence, sexual violence, or dating 58
violence against the person or the person's child, provided that 59
this same individual is the person against whom force was used 60
in the incident giving rise to the claim of self-defense. 61
(2) A person is justified in using or threatening to use 62
force, except deadly force, against another when and to the 63
extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is 64
necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the 65
other's imminent use of unlawful force. A person who uses or 66
threatens to use force in accordance with this subsection does 67
not have a duty to retreat before using or threatening to use 68
such force. 69
(3)(2) A person is justified in using or threatening to 70
use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or 71
threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent 72
death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or 73
to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A 74
person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance 75

HB 1127 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the 76
right to stand his or her ground if the person using or 77
threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal 78
activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be. 79
(4) There is a rebuttable presumption that a person who 80
uses force in accordance with subsection (2) or subsection (3) 81
against a known abuser acts with a reasonable fear of imminent 82
peril