Florida SB 296: Victims of Domestic Violence and Dating Violence

Bill Text

296 
Victims of Domestic Violence and Dating Violence 
2026-03-18T09:42:44Z 
Requiring the Division of Telecommunications within the Department of Management Services to consult with certain entities to conduct a feasibility study regarding a specified alert system; providing requirements for such alert system; authorizing victims of dating violence to apply to participate in the Attorney General’s address confidentiality program; requiring the Attorney General to designate certain entities to assist victims of dating violence applying to be address confidentiality program participants, etc. 
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2026 
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2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
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 ENROLLED 
 2026 Legislature CS for SB 296 

 2026296er 
 1 
 2 An act relating to victims of domestic violence and 
 3 dating violence; defining terms; requiring the 
 4 Division of Telecommunications within the Department 
 5 of Management Services to consult with certain 
 6 entities to conduct a feasibility study regarding a 
 7 specified alert system; providing requirements for 
 8 such alert system; requiring the division to report to 
 9 the Legislature the results of the feasibility study 
 10 by a specified date; amending s. 741.401, F.S.; 
 11 revising legislative findings to include victims of 
 12 dating violence; reordering and amending s. 741.402, 
 13 F.S.; defining the term “dating violence”; amending s. 
 14 741.403, F.S.; authorizing victims of dating violence 
 15 to apply to participate in the Attorney General’s 
 16 address confidentiality program; amending s. 741.408, 
 17 F.S.; requiring the Attorney General to designate 
 18 certain entities to assist victims of dating violence 
 19 applying to be address confidentiality program 
 20 participants; amending ss. 741.4651 and 960.001, F.S.; 
 21 conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 
 22 providing an effective date. 
 23 
 24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 25 
 26 Section 1. Domestic and dating violence 911 alert system 
 27 feasibility study.— 
 28 (1) As used in this section, the term: 
 29 (a) “Division” means the Division of Telecommunications 
 30 within the Department of Management Services. 
 31 (b) “Enhanced 911” has the same meaning as in s. 
 32 365.172(3), Florida Statutes. 
 33 (c) “Next Generation 911” has the same meaning as in s. 
 34 365.172(3), Florida Statutes. 
 35 (d) “Public safety agency” has the same meaning as in s. 
 36 365.172(3), Florida Statutes. 
 37 (e) “Public safety answering point” or “PSAP” has the same 
 38 meaning as in s. 365.172(3), Florida Statutes. 
 39 (2) The division shall consult with enhanced 911 and Next 
 40 Generation 911 service providers; state, county, and municipal 
 41 PSAPs; and state and local public safety agencies to conduct a 
 42 feasibility study regarding the creation of a web-based 911 
 43 alert system for use by victims of domestic violence and dating 
 44 violence which is capable of: 
 45 (a) Ensuring real-time data-sharing between PSAPs and law 
 46 enforcement agencies. 
 47 (b) Creating a unique telephone number for each user which 
 48 will connect the user to a PSAP. 
 49 (c) Creating a user-generated numerical code or phrase that 
 50 can be utilized by the user after contacting a PSAP and that 
 51 indicates the user’s need for immediate law enforcement 
 52 assistance. 
 53 (d) Transmitting specified data to law enforcement agencies 
 54 when a user calls from his or her unique telephone number and 
 55 enters his or her numerical code or phrase. 
 56 (3) By January 31, 2027, the division shall report to the 
 57 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
 58 Representatives the results of the feasibility study. 
 59 Section 2. Section 741.401, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 60 read: 
 61 741.401 Legislative findings; purpose.—The Legislature 
 62 finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or 
 63 threatened domestic violence or dating violence frequently 
 64 establish new addresses in order to prevent their assailants or 
 65 probable assailants from finding them. The purpose of ss. 
 66 741.401-741.409 is to enable state and local agencies to respond 
 67 to requests for public records without disclosing the location 
 68 of a victim of domestic violence or dating violence, to enable 
 69 interagency cooperation with the Attorney General in providing 
 70 address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence and 
 71 dating violence, and to enable state and local agencies to 
 72 accept a program participant’s use of an address designated by 
 73 the Attorney General as a substitute mailing address. 
 74 Section 3. Section 741.402, Florida Statutes, is reordered 
 75 and amended to read: 
 76 741.402 Definitions; ss. 741.401-741.409.—Unless the 
 77 context clearly requires otherwise, as used in ss. 741.401 
 78 741.409, the term: 
 79 (1) “Address” means a residential street address, school 
 80 address, or work address of an individual, as