CS/CS/HB 67 2023
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to protection of specified personnel; 2
amending s. 836.12, F.S.; providing a definition; 3
requiring a violation to be committed with specified 4
intent; prohibiting specified threats against a 5
justice, judicial assistant, a clerk of court, or 6
clerk personnel or a family member of such person; 7
prohibiting specified harassment of certain personnel 8
with the intent to intimidate or coerce such person t o 9
perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty; 10
providing criminal penalties; providing an effective 11
date. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. Section 836.12, Florida Statutes, is amended to 16
read: 17
836.12 Threats or harassment.— 18
(1) As used in this section, the term: 19
(a) "Family member" means: 20
1. An individual related to another individual by blood or 21
marriage; or 22
2. An individual who stands in loco parentis to another 23
individual. 24
(b) "Judicial assistant" means a court employee assigned 25
CS/CS/HB 67 2023
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
to the office of a specific judge or justice responsible for 26
providing administrative, secretarial, and clerical support to 27
the assigned judge or justice. 28
(c)(b) "Law enforcement officer" means: 29
1. A law enforcemen t officer as defined in s. 943.10; or 30
2. A federal law enforcement officer as defined in s. 31
901.1505. 32
(2)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), any person who 33
knowingly and willfully threatens a law enforcement officer, a 34
state attorney, an assistant state attorney, a firefighter, a 35
judge, a justice, a judicial assistant, a clerk of court, clerk 36
personnel, or an elected official, or a family member of any 37
such person persons, with death or serious bodily harm commits a 38
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 39
775.082 or s. 775.083. 40
(b)(3) A person who commits a second or subsequent 41
violation of paragraph (a) subsection (2) commits a felony of 42
the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 43
775.083, or s. 775.084. 44
(3) Any person who knowingly and willfully harasses a law 45
enforcement officer, a state attorney, an assistant state 46
attorney, a firefighter, a judge, a justice, a judicial 47
assistant, a clerk of court, clerk personnel, or an elected 48
official, with the inte nt to intimidate or coerce such a person 49
to perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty, commits a 50
CS/CS/HB 67 2023
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 51
775.082 or s. 775.083. 52
Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2023. 53