Florida Sheriffs Association urges adding xylazine to trafficking law, proposes felony for luring children under 12

Sheriff Rob Hardwick, speaking for the Florida Sheriffs Association, told the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security on Feb. 4 that xylazine — a large‑animal sedative commonly called "Tranq" on the street — is appearing increasingly in Florida as a cutting agent for fentanyl and other opioids and is causing severe tissue damage in people who inject it.

Hardwick said xylazine is cheap, relatively easy to obtain and "made its U.S. hit debut" in Puerto Rico before spreading to the northeastern United States and down into Florida. "Narcan does not work on this actually substance," he told the committee, adding that users are experiencing prolonged highs and deep flesh wounds that can lead to amputations.

The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA), Hardwick said, will ask the Legislature to add xylazine to Florida's trafficking statute to give law enforcement new tools to hold manufacturers and sellers accountable. "We have to stop these overdoses and save our people that are in crisis," he said.

Hardwick also urged changing Florida law on luring and enticing a child. He cited Florida Statute 787.025, the current luring statute, and said it defines luring a child under 12 to a structure, dwelling or conveyance but remains a misdemeanor. Because that classification limits law enforcement's ability to obtain arrest and search warrants when investigating such incidents, the FSA proposal would elevate intentional luring or attempts to a felony and increase penalties for repeat offenders.

Vice Chair Collins, who represents Broward County in the committee, asked whether sheriffs were working with agencies in the southern part of the state, where Hardwick said xylazine has been more prevalent. Hardwick said he would obtain and send county‑level data to her office and reach out to the Broward County sheriff.

Hardwick also discussed domestic security initiatives the FSA supports, including information sharing with the Florida Fusion Center and model jail standards intended to reduce recidivism. He described a suite of programs in his St. Johns County jail — reentry, preentry, homeless outreach, a driver's license kiosk and assistance obtaining birth certificates — and said sheriffs are working to improve jail inspection and reentry outcomes through legislative initiatives and FSA standards.

The discussion that followed covered canine detection (Hardwick said dogs are currently not trained for xylazine specifically and that training requires a controlled substance for canine certification) and questions about local prevalence data. Hardwick committed to getting county data and to coordinating with local sheriffs.