Florida SB 316: Law Enforcement and Immigration Officer Identifying Information and Face Coverings

Bill Text

316 
Law Enforcement and Immigration Officer Identifying Information and Face Coverings 
2025-11-03T04:40:27Z 
Creating the "VISIBLE Act"; requiring covered immigration officers to wear specified visible identification during public immigration enforcement functions; providing requirements for such visible identification; prohibiting covered immigration officers from wearing face coverings that impair the visibility of identifying information or obscure a covered immigration officer’s face; prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings in the performance of their official duties, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 316 

 By Senator Smith 

 17-00568-26 2026316__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to law enforcement and immigration 
 3 officer identifying information and face coverings; 
 4 creating s. 908.14, F.S.; providing a short title; 
 5 providing definitions; requiring covered immigration 
 6 officers to wear specified visible identification 
 7 during public immigration enforcement functions; 
 8 providing requirements for such visible 
 9 identification; prohibiting covered immigration 
 10 officers from wearing face coverings that impair the 
 11 visibility of identifying information or obscure a 
 12 covered immigration officer’s face; providing an 
 13 exception; providing duties of the State Board of 
 14 Immigration Enforcement; requiring the State 
 15 Immigration Enforcement Council to submit a specified 
 16 report to the Legislature by a specified date; 
 17 amending ss. 908.1031 and 908.1032, F.S.; conforming 
 18 provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 
 19 943.1718, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting law 
 20 enforcement officers from wearing face coverings in 
 21 the performance of their official duties; requiring 
 22 that specified advance notice be given to a sheriff 
 23 under certain circumstances; providing applicability; 
 24 providing criminal penalties; requiring the Department 
 25 of Law Enforcement to adopt rules by a specified date; 
 26 providing an effective date. 
 27 
 28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 29 
 30 Section 1. Section 908.14, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 31 read: 
 32 908.14 Visible Identification Standards for Immigration 
 33 Based Law Enforcement Act.— 
 34 (1) This section may be cited as the “VISIBLE Act.” 
 35 (2) As used in this section, the term: 
 36 (a) “Covered immigration officer” means a person who is 
 37 authorized to perform immigration enforcement functions and who 
 38 is: 
 39 1. An officer or employee of a law enforcement agency; 
 40 2. An officer or employee of United States Customs and 
 41 Border Protection; 
 42 3. An officer or employee of United States Immigration and 
 43 Customs Enforcement; or 
 44 4. A person authorized, deputized, or designated under 
 45 federal law, regulation, or agreement to perform immigration 
 46 enforcement functions. 
 47 (b) “Public immigration enforcement function” means any 
 48 activity that involves the direct exercise of federal 
 49 immigration authority through public-facing actions, including a 
 50 patrol, a stop, an arrest, a search, an interview to determine 
 51 immigration status, a raid, a checkpoint inspection, or the 
 52 service of a judicial or administrative warrant. The term does 
 53 not include covert, nonpublic operations or nonenforcement 
 54 activities. 
 55 (c) “Visible identification” means the display of the name 
 56 or widely recognized initials of the employing agency of a 
 57 covered immigration officer and such officer’s last name or 
 58 badge or identification number, in a size and format that 
 59 complies with the requirements in subsection (4). 
 60 (3) A covered immigration officer who directly engages in a 
 61 public immigration enforcement function within this state must 
 62 wear visible identification at all times during such engagement. 
 63 (4) The visible identification must: 
 64 (a) For the name of the employing agency of the covered 
 65 immigration officer, be displayed in a size and format that is 
 66 clearly legible from a distance of not less than 25 feet, using 
 67 materials or markings suitable for visibility in both daylight 
 68 and low-light conditions under normal operational conditions. 
 69 (b) For the covered immigration officer’s last name or 
 70 badge or identification number, be displayed in a manner that is 
 71 clearly visible and readable during direct engagement with the 
 72 public. 
 73 (c) Be displayed on the covered immigration officer’s 
 74 outermost garment or gear and may not be obscured by tactical 
 75 equipment, body armor, or accessories. 
 76 (5) A covered immigration officer may not wear nonmedical 
 77 face coverings, including masks or balaclavas, which impair the 
 78 visibility of the identifying information required under this 
 79 section or obscure the