| 15 | 15 | | An act relating to protection of specified personnel; 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | amending s. 836.12, F.S.; providing a definition; 3 |
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| 17 | 17 | | requiring a violation to be committed with specified 4 |
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| 18 | 18 | | intent; prohibiting specified threats against a 5 |
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| 19 | 19 | | justice, judicial assistant, a clerk of court, or 6 |
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| 20 | 20 | | clerk personnel or a family member of such person; 7 |
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| 21 | 21 | | prohibiting specified harassment of certain personnel 8 |
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| 22 | 22 | | with the intent to intimidate or coerce such person t o 9 |
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| 23 | 23 | | perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty; 10 |
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| 24 | 24 | | providing criminal penalties; providing an effective 11 |
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| 25 | 25 | | date. 12 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 13 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 15 |
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| 29 | 29 | | Section 1. Section 836.12, Florida Statutes, is amended to 16 |
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| 30 | 30 | | read: 17 |
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| 31 | 31 | | 836.12 Threats or harassment.— 18 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) As used in this section, the term: 19 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (a) "Family member" means: 20 |
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| 34 | 34 | | 1. An individual related to another individual by blood or 21 |
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| 35 | 35 | | marriage; or 22 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 2. An individual who stands in loco parentis to another 23 |
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| 37 | 37 | | individual. 24 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (b) "Judicial assistant" means a court employee assigned 25 |
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| 46 | 46 | | Page 2 of 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 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 |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | |
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| 51 | 51 | | to the office of a specific judge or justice responsible for 26 |
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| 52 | 52 | | providing administrative, secretarial, and clerical support to 27 |
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| 53 | 53 | | the assigned judge or justice. 28 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (c)(b) "Law enforcement officer" means: 29 |
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| 55 | 55 | | 1. A law enforcemen t officer as defined in s. 943.10; or 30 |
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| 56 | 56 | | 2. A federal law enforcement officer as defined in s. 31 |
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| 57 | 57 | | 901.1505. 32 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (2)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), any person who 33 |
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| 59 | 59 | | knowingly and willfully threatens a law enforcement officer, a 34 |
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| 60 | 60 | | state attorney, an assistant state attorney, a firefighter, a 35 |
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| 61 | 61 | | judge, a justice, a judicial assistant, a clerk of court, clerk 36 |
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| 62 | 62 | | personnel, or an elected official, or a family member of any 37 |
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| 63 | 63 | | such person persons, with death or serious bodily harm commits a 38 |
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| 64 | 64 | | misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 39 |
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| 65 | 65 | | 775.082 or s. 775.083. 40 |
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| 66 | 66 | | (b)(3) A person who commits a second or subsequent 41 |
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| 67 | 67 | | violation of paragraph (a) subsection (2) commits a felony of 42 |
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| 68 | 68 | | the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 43 |
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| 69 | 69 | | 775.083, or s. 775.084. 44 |
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| 70 | 70 | | (3) Any person who knowingly and willfully harasses a law 45 |
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| 71 | 71 | | enforcement officer, a state attorney, an assistant state 46 |
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| 72 | 72 | | attorney, a firefighter, a judge, a justice, a judicial 47 |
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| 73 | 73 | | assistant, a clerk of court, clerk personnel, or an elected 48 |
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| 74 | 74 | | official, with the inte nt to intimidate or coerce such a person 49 |
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| 75 | 75 | | to perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty, commits a 50 |
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