Lawmakers approved the legislation which would strengthen protections for victims, increase penalties for repeat offenders and create GPS monitoring pilot program.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A bill aimed at protecting families from domestic violence is quickly moving through the legislature. House Bill 277 just passed the Florida House unanimously and is expected to get the same support in the Senate. The legislation strengthens protections for victims, increases penalties for repeat offenders and creates pilot programs for electronic monitoring.
State Rep. Debra Tendrich (D, Lake Worth) filed the bill. She is also a domestic violence survivor. Before the vote, she opened the debate with a deeply personal account of surviving domestic violence.
“Have any of you ever been held at gunpoint before? If not, imagine that moment,” Tendrich said. “Every move you make is calculated. Every word you say is carefully chosen because you fear the trigger being pulled. Living with domestic violence is very similar.”
“Survivors calculate every step,” she said. “Pulled by their gun, their fist or their next explosion.”
She shared several stories, including that of Bradford County mother Rachael Kerr, who was killed earlier this year. Tendrich believes if the proposed protections had been in place, Kerr would still be alive.
“Rachel Kerr was murdered this January while her estranged husband was out on bail,” Tendrich said. “And before taking his own life, he asked their own two children if they wanted to go to heaven with Daddy.”
Tendrich also described how living under abuse strips victims of the freedoms many Americans take for granted.
“Living in fear does more than cause pain — it slowly erodes freedoms that every American is supposed to have: the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “Yet for victims of domestic violence, those rights are taken away behind closed doors.”
“Their life becomes confined by abuse. Their liberty is replaced with control, and their pursuit of happiness becomes simply the pursuit of survival.”
The bill enhances penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and creates a pilot program in Pinellas County allowing courts to order electronic monitoring for certain offenders on probation who pose a threat to victims. HB 277 would create a two-year pilot program through the Department of Corrections in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which covers Pinellas and Pasco counties. Tendrich says the GPS electronic monitoring for repeat offenders would create a 500-foot geofence around the victim’s home and workplace, and be monitored with an app, so the victim would know if the abuser is within 500 feet.
“Protection should not expire at the courthouse door,” she said. “A restraining order is only as strong as the paper written on it, because a piece of paper cannot shield a bullet.”
The goal is if this pilot program gets the go-ahead and is signed into law, the data can be used to roll out a more comprehensive program statewide next legislative session.
“The goal is actually not even to wait, but we wanted to make sure that we are collecting data, in those areas and getting some feedback onto how we can actually implement this effectively. And we have to start somewhere, and so I’m really grateful for those counties to really, you know, take control of the situation and be a part of this process to make sure that these protections are put in place. And everyone agrees it’s a great idea. We just don’t want to implement it in a way where it’s going to fail. We want to make sure that we implement it right the first time,” Tendrich said.
The bill also increases financial assistance for victims trying to escape abusive situations.
“It increases the victim relocation allowance from $1,500 to $2,500 to reflect the real cost of relocating safely in our state,” Tendrich said.
Another provision allows courts to include threats or harm toward animals, including service or emotional support animals, in protective injunctions.
The measure now heads to the Florida Senate for consideration. If approved by both chambers, the bill would head to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.
Tendrich said she plans to spend the summer traveling the state on a domestic violence listening and legislative tour, meeting with survivors and community leaders to identify additional gaps in Florida law.
“No matter what part of domestic violence you are a part of, whether it’s you lost a family member, whether you’re a victim yourself, a survivor– just know that I’m making domestic violence reform a priority, and if you want to be a part of this initiative to prevent this from happening to anyone else across our state, please reach out to my office,” Tendrich said.
If you are or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119.