Criminal Justice Subcommittee advances wide-ranging package including Haven Act, Lucy’s Law and boating, public-safety measures

The Criminal Justice Subcommittee met in Tallahassee and reported favorably a slate of bills on March 25, 2025, advancing measures that ranged from expanded privacy protections for victims of domestic and dating violence to changes in boating safety and criminal penalties. The panel voted to report all items to the full chamber with favorable recommendations.

The committee began by reporting favorably House Bill 4007, a Martin County local bill that caps charges for off-site emergent medical care for inmates at 10 percent of the Medicare rate. Representative Snyder, sponsor of HB 4007, said the measure “mirrors the current practice that we have, within the Department of Corrections.” The committee recorded the vote as 15 yeas, 0 nays; HB 4007 was shown reported favorably.

The panel also approved HB 513, which would mandate expedited electronic transmittal of certain court orders to sheriff’s offices. Representative Gentry, sponsor of HB 513, described a November courtroom incident that prompted the bill: after a judge issued an ex parte involuntary-commitment order, the signed order was not transmitted to the sheriff’s office and, Gentry said, the omission preceded a later shooting. Gentry summarized the change as requiring transmission “within 6 hours.” Sheriff’s office staff and criminal-justice advocates waived in support. The committee recorded 15 yays, 0 nays and reported HB 513 favorably.

Two public-safety measures received extended attention. PCS for HB 289, named in committee as Lucy’s Law and presented by Representative Oliver with Representative Vicky Lopez identified as prime co-sponsor, would revise boating-safety requirements, align penalties for leaving the scene and reckless vessel operation with driving offenses, and require boating-safety education in some circumstances. The bill drew lengthy testimony from Andy Fernandez, who identified himself as Lucy’s father and described his 17-year-old daughter’s death in a 2022 boating crash; Fernandez urged the committee to pass the bill to reduce similar tragedies. Committee members said they expected further technical adjustments; the panel voted 18 yays, 0 nays to report the PCS for HB 289 favorably.

The committee advanced PCS for HB 19 and PCS for HB 41, a pair the sponsor described as the Haven Act. PCS for HB 19 would study and enable a web-based 9-1-1 alert or nondescript phone-number mechanism to let victims transmit location and safety data discreetly; PCS for HB 41 would make personally identifying information held under the Haven Act confidential and exempt from public disclosure and close portions of meetings where such data are discussed. Representative Hinson (identified in the record as the sponsor) framed the package as improving privacy, safety and access to emergency services; multiple survivors and domestic-violence advocates testified in support. Both measures were reported favorably (PCS for HB 19: 18 yeas, 0 nays; PCS for HB 41: 18 ayes, 0 nays).

The committee also considered HB 57 (PCS), which would add xylazine — a veterinary sedative commonly called “tranq” in testimony — to a statute that treats certain analogues like fentanyl and would create a trafficking offense while preserving an exception for veterinary use. Supporters included county sheriffs and law-enforcement groups; the State Public Interest Legal Center testified in opposition to mandatory-minimum approaches, urging treatment-focused alternatives. The bill drew public-health and law-enforcement testimony about necrotic wounds and overdoses when xylazine is mixed with fentanyl; the committee voted to report the PCS for HB 57 favorably (17 yays, 0 nays).

The committee advanced several other measures: HB 205 (“Trooper’s Law”), which makes abandoning a restrained dog during a natural disaster a third-degree felony; HB 421, expanding peer-support access for first responders and certain support personnel as amended; and PCS for HB 383, which would extend the concealed-permit exemption from mandatory waiting periods to active law enforcement, corrections officers, probation officers and active military service members. Each of those bills was reported favorably (HB 205: 15 yays, 0 nays; HB 421 as amended: 16 yeas, 0 nays; PCS for HB 383: 18 yeas, 0 nays).

The panel also advanced HB 693 to add an aggravating factor for capital-felony sentencing when victims were gathered for school, religious or public-government activities; that bill drew opposition from a death-penalty reform group and passed the committee 17 yeas, 1 nay. HB 479, which expands a court’s ability to order restitution in leaving-the-scene cases involving property damage, was reported favorably as amended. HB 175, a measure clarifying the statutory standards that govern the use of force against law-enforcement officers and adding manslaughter to a list of offenses carrying mandatory life in specified circumstances, passed the committee and was reported favorably.

Votes at a glance (committee action reported favorably unless noted): HB 4007 (Martin County inmate medical caps) — 15–0; HB 513 (electronic transmittal of court orders) — 15–0; HB 205 (Trooper’s Law — dog abandonment during natural disasters) — 15–0; HB 421 (peer support for first responders, amended) — 16–0; PCS HB 383 (waiting-period exemption for officers/service members) — 18–0; HB 693 (capital-felony aggravating factor) — 17–1; PCS HB 19 (Haven Act study/alert elements) — 18–0; PCS HB 41 (Haven Act public-records/confidentiality) — 18–0; PCS HB 289 (Lucy’s Law, boating-safety) — 18–0; HB 479 (restitution for property-damage leaving scene, as amended) — 18–0; PCS HB 57 (regulate xylazine, trafficking offense) — 17–0; HB 175 (offenses against officers/Jason Raynor Act) — 17–0.

Committee members and advocates stressed the mixture of privacy, public-safety and criminal-justice concerns the measures raise. Representative Gentry, sponsor of HB 513, said the bill responds to a specific case and explained the time frame change: “This bill says that once an order is signed, it must be transmitted to the sheriff’s office within 6 hours.” Andy Fernandez, who testified on PCS HB 289, described his family’s loss and pressed the committee for stronger boat-operator education and penalties: “Lucy was trapped underneath the boat and did not make it,” he said. Survivors’ advocates and service providers urged swift passage of the Haven Act package; one survivor, Amy Trask, told the panel the measures would “give victims the tools to escape dangerous situations.”

Next steps: All reported measures move to other committee stops or the full House calendar as specified by chamber rules. Several sponsors signaled that technical edits and follow-up discussions with affected agencies (law enforcement, clerk offices, the Department of Management Services and FDLE) are expected before final floor action.

Acknowledgment: The meeting record shows broad bipartisan support on many items, with specific opposition and concern noted for HB 693 from death-penalty reform advocates and for certain mandatory-penalty provisions in HB 57 from public-interest groups that favor treatment alternatives.