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Boca Raton council backs statewide hands‑free driving law after victims urge action
Summary
The Boca Raton City Council unanimously approved a resolution Feb. 25 urging the Florida Legislature to require hands‑free phone use while driving. Survivors and advocates delivered personal testimony and statistics, and council members framed the move as a public‑safety measure before a 5–0 vote.
The Boca Raton City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Feb. 25 calling on state lawmakers to require hands‑free phone use while driving, citing public‑safety concerns and rising distracted‑driving statistics.
Deputy Mayor Drucker, who requested the resolution, told the council that the city has long prioritized public safety and that changing the statutory language from a narrow texting ban to a broader hands‑free requirement could reduce crashes. "This is just changing the actual verbiage to say hands free driving," she said, urging council support.
The measure drew emotional testimony from two witnesses whose lives were affected by distracted driving. "It’s time to take the next step and require hands free device usage statewide," said Emily Slosberg King, who identified herself as a lawyer, outreach coordinator for Dori Saves Lives and a former legislator who sponsored Florida’s 2019 texting‑and‑driving law. She recounted surviving a crash that killed her twin sister and five friends and cited state crash and fatality figures she said demonstrate the need for stronger laws.
Demetrius Branca, who said he lost his son to a distracted driver, reinforced the call for action and urged the council to send a strong message to Tallahassee. "That day obviously changed my life forever," he said, describing his statewide outreach on the issue.
Council members placed the item on the consent calendar after public comment and voted 5–0 to adopt the resolution. The resolution references a pending state bill (House Bill 501) and will be transmitted as a formal local expression of support for legislative change.
Although the council’s vote expresses municipal backing rather than creating local criminal penalties, council members framed their action as part of a broader push for policies that reduce roadway deaths and injuries.
The resolution was adopted without dissent; the council took no additional local regulatory action at the meeting.
