TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – A bill that strengthens penalties for abusers and supports survivors is ready for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Survivors hope the bill aimed at supporting those people becomes law.
Marjorie Morton is remembering her daughter, Rachel Kerr. The Bradford County mother of three was killed in January by her estranged husband before he killed himself.
“He told her throughout their marriage that if she ever tried to leave him, he’d kill her, the kids, and then himself. And he almost did that,” Morton said.
Morton said her daughter was in an abusive marriage for years.
“He was given bail and then about eight days later he killed her,” Morton said.
She got a glimpse of that abuse leading up to her death.
“Eventually, if you didn’t do what he wanted, you could see him spiraling out of control,” Morton said.
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Stories like Kerr’s are happening across Florida. FDLE’s Uniform Crime Report says there were more than 106,000 reported domestic violence offenses in 2020, which is the last time FDLE released the report. 217 people were killed that year.
“We need to make sure we’re looking at this situation head-on. It’s a public safety emergency we really need to focus on,” said state Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth.
Tendrich pushed for reforms with unanimous support from the legislature. She says the bill waiting for DeSantis puts more focus on the victim, not the abuser.
“If we really want to break this cycle of abuse, trauma, and really make sure our women, children, and families are safe across our state, this has to be at the forefront of our conversation,” Tendrich said.
The bill includes enhanced penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders. Repeat injunction violations are elevated to a third-degree felony.
The legislation creates two electronic monitoring pilot programs for domestic violence offenders on probation with no-contact orders. It also recognizes Military Protective Orders in civilian court proceedings, improving coordination between civilian and military law enforcement.
Victim relocation assistance increases from $1,500 to $2,500 per claim and from $3,000 to $5,000 lifetime. The bill provides explicit protections for pets, service animals and emotional support animals in protective injunction evaluations.
Morton said the changes would save lives.
“Absolutely, absolutely. It might have even saved hers,” Morton said.
Tendrich said she’ll continue pushing for more reforms in upcoming legislative sessions.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
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