Mission

To educate and inform Floridians on best policies and practices which increase public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and increase the likelihood that justice-involved youth and adults will become contributing members of society.
News reports covering current hot topics in justice reform

Policing
October 18, 2021


City of Tallahassee mounting legal challenge to Florida's 'anti-riot' law, HB 1 - Tallahassee Democrat / MSN, 10/15/2021

'No activities for the youth': Emergency town hall looks at 'symptoms' of shootings in Tallahassee [FL] - Tallahassee Democrat / MSN, 10/15/2021

[U.S.] Rep. Demings honors police week [US, FL] - News release - U.S. Rep. Val Demings, 10/15/2021

‘Untenable and unsustainable’: Miami Mayor stands by manager’s move to oust police chief [FL] - The Miami Herald / MSN, 10/14/2021

Tallahassee leaders are suing Florida over the anti-riot law and its encroachment on home rule - WFSU-FM, 10/14/2021

TPD: Tallahassee gun violence hits teens, young adults hardest; emergency town hall scheduled [FL] - Tallahassee Democrat / MSN, 10/14/2021

Crist announces over $200,000 in grants to keep Pinellas families safe [US, FL] - News release - U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, 10/14/2021

Police tell lawmakers they need help cracking down on crimes posted about on social media [FL] - WFSU-FM, 10/13/2021

Miami decides to fire Police Chief Art Acevedo and end a short but tumultuous tenure [FL] - Miami Herald / MSN, 10/12/2021

Police brief [Florida] Senate panel on ‘new frontier’ issues cops face statewide - Florida Politics, 10/12/2021

Tallahassee may join legal challenge to HB1 'anti-riot' legislation [FL] - Tallahassee Democrat, 10/11/2021

Bodycam video shows Dayton, Ohio, police officers dragging a Black paraplegic man out of his car during a traffic stop - CNN, 10/11/2021

Federal prosecutors not filing charges against officer in Jacob Blake shooting [WI] - The Associated Press / WCCO-TV, 10/8/2021

Miami city manager orders embattled chief to submit reform plan, warns ‘follow my counsel’ [FL] - The Miami Herald / MSN, 10/5/2021

Party crowds spark effort to turn down volume in South Beach [FL] - The Associated Press, 10/3/2021

Police chief Art Acevedo’s job on the line as he clashes with Miami’s ‘Game of Thrones’ politics [FL] - The Washington Post / MSN, 10/1/2021

Woman charged as accessory in shooting death of Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers [FL] - The Florida Times-Union / MSN, 9/30/2021

Miami mayoral candidate Frank Pichel wanted in Keys on felony charge of impersonating a cop [FL] - FL Keys News, 9/30/2021

When your neighbor is a hostile ex-cop, don’t count on your city for help [FL] - Florida Bulldog, 9/29/2021

Proposed law to care for retired police dogs 'huge,' Volusia K-9 handlers say [FL] - The Daytona Beach News-Journal, 9/29/2021

Miami police chief compares actions of some commissioners to Cuba’s Communist regime [FL] - The Miami Herald / MSN, 9/28/2021

Attorney General Moody implores congressional leaders to support Thin Blue Line Act [US, FL] - News release - Office of Florida Attorney General, 9/27/2021

Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers dies after being shot twice during traffic stop [FL] - First Coast News / The Florida Times-Union, 9/26/2021
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Legislation Tracking - 2021 Session

Florida Capitol and House buildings

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With the deadlines for the governor's action on bills now behind us, below is a final look at the bills that were tracked (but not necessarily supported) by the FCAJ during Florida's 2021 Legislative Session. Each listing includes a link to the bill's corresponding webpage hosted by the Florida House or Senate. Follow each link for a bill description, texts, and action history.





Bills signed into law by Gov. DeSantis

HB 1 - Combating Public Disorder; companion bill SB 484

CS/CS/SB 44 - Use of Drones by Government Agencies; companion bill CS/CS/HB 1049

SB 148 - Beverage Law; companion bill CS/HB 329

CS/CS/SB 184 - Purple Alert

HB 231 -  Services for Veterans and Their Families; companion bill CS/SB 260

HB 371 - False Reports of Crimes; companion bill SB 1234

SB 590 - Involuntary Examinations of Minors; companion bill CS/HB 383

HB 701 -  Behavioral Health Care Services Coverage and Access; companion bill SB 1024

HB 833 -  Unlawful Use of DNA; companion bill CS/SB 1140

SB 838 - Clerks of the Circuit Court; companion bills HB 31, CS/HB 903

CS/CS/HB 1229 - Public Records; companion bill CS/SB 1508

HB 5301 -  Judges; companion bill SB 816

HB 7051 - Law Enforcement and Correctional Officer Practices



Bills vetoed by Gov. DeSantis

CS/SB 166 - Public Records/Nonjudicial Record of the Arrest of a Minor; companion bill HB 95

SB 274 - Juvenile Diversion Program Expunction; companion bill HB 93



Failed bills

HB 25 - Sales of Ammunition

HB 69 - Parole Eligibility

​HM 71 - Recognizing Veteran Suicide

HB 125 - Inmate Placement

CS/CS/SB 130 - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

SB 144 - Searches of Cellular Phones and Other Electronic Devices

HB 165 - Treatment of Inmates

HB 187 - Law Enforcement Equipment

HB 189 - Expunction of Criminal History Records Relating to Cannabis Offenses

HB 197 -  Law Enforcement Officers

SB 214 - Physician Certifications for the Medical Use of Marijuana

CS/SB 232 - Criminal Justice

HB 235 - Criminal Rehabilitation

SB 246 - Public Meetings and Records/Conditional Aging Medical Release Program

HB 247 - Telehealth Practice Standards

HB 261 - Deprivation of Rights by Public Officers and Employees

HB 277 - Statewide Police Misconduct Registry

CS/SB 288 - Victims of Reform School Abuse

HB 299 - Criminal Justice Standards and Training

HB 303 - Minimum Age for Arrest

SB 328 - Sentencing

HB 335 - Medical Marijuana Public Employee Protection

HB 343 - Availability of Marijuana for Adult Use

SB 386 - Payments to Clerks of the Circuit Courts

HB 395 - Reductions of Criminal Sentences

HB 405 - Mental Health and Substance Abuse

SB 436 - Conviction Integrity Review Units

SB 442 - Juror Service

SB 452 - Law Enforcement Officer Body and Vehicle Dash Cameras

SB 458 - Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers

CS/SB 468 - Expunction of Criminal History Records Relating to Certain Cannabis Offenses

HB 479 - Compensation for Victims of Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers

SB 480 - Statewide Police Misconduct Registry

HB 505 - Minimum Qualifications for Law Enforcement or Correctional Officers

HB 513 - Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers

HB 521 - No-knock Search Warrants

HB 549 - Use of Psilocybin for Mental Health Treatment

HB 557 - Payments to Clerks of the Circuit Courts

HB 569 - Law Enforcement Body and Dashboard Cameras

HB 577 - Law Enforcement Officer Use of Force

SB 620 - Parole Eligibility

CS/SB 626 - Juvenile Justice

HB 647 - Law Enforcement Agency Standards

SB 660 - Telehealth

SB 664 - Adult Use Marijuana Legalization

SB 670 - Deprivation of Constitutional Rights

SB 692 - Medical Marijuana Public Employee Protection

SB 710 - Availability of Marijuana for Adult Use

SB 730 - Strangulation by a Law Enforcement Officer

HB 739 - Juror Service

HB 767 -  Victims of Crimes of Sexual Violence or Sexual Exploitation

HB 799 -  Criminal Sentencing

​SB 808 - Intelligence-led Policing

SB 828 - Mental Health and Substance Abuse

SJR 854 - Minimum Wage Rate

SB 868 - No-knock Search Warrants

SB 878 - Law Enforcement Equipment

HB 879 - Mental Illness Training for Law Enforcement Officers

SB 942 - Law Enforcement Agency Standards

SB 992 - Minimum Qualifications for Law Enforcement or Correctional Officers

SB 1032 - Gain-time

SB 1044 - Victims of Crimes of Sexual Violence or Sexual Exploitation

SB 1052 - Use or Threatened Use of Force

SB 1148 - Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers

SB 1156 - Serious Mental Illness as Bar to Execution

SB 1170 - Sales of Ammunition

SB 1192 - Mental Illness Training for Law Enforcement Officers

CS/HB 1447 - Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse

HB 1455 - Regulation of Medical Marijuana

HB 1467 -  Employment Benefits and Accommodations for Crime Victims and Witnesses

CS/SB 1818 - Law Enforcement Officer Training

SB 1838 - Employee Protections

CS/SB 1908 - Gain-time for Certain Women Prisoners

SB 1926 - Children and Young Adults’ Fines and Fees

SB 1958 - Regulation of Medical Marijuana

CS/SB 1970 - Law Enforcement Reform

HB 2153 - Integrated Care and Coordination for Youth (ICCY)

HB 2275 - Operation New Hope, Inc. - Ready4Work Re-entry

HB 2285 - Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment for Veterans

HB 2625 - Town of Davie - Body Camera Program

HB 3389 -  AGAPE Behavioral Health Response following COVID

HB 3459 - Highridge Family Center Improvements

HB 3471 - RESTORE Reentry Program

HB 6035 - Use or Threatened Use of Deadly Force

HB 6057 - Law Enforcement Officers' and Correctional Officers' Rights

HB 7035 - School Safety

Legislation Archive

Legislation Recap - 2020 Session​​
Legislation Recap - 2019 Session
Legislation Recap - 2018 Session
Legislation Recap - 2017 Session
Legislation Recap - 2016 Session

FCAJ News

Research Central: Just the Facts
There is a good reason why the justice reform movement is largely a bipartisan effort: it is ideally based on sound facts and trustworthy information. But in this era of fake news and alternative facts, where can you get information that you can count on?  Read More
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FCAJ Launches 'Money in the Pot' Research Series
Florida is entering a new era with its implementation of medical marijuana. How will the state generate revenue from this new market? What are the policies in other states? To help answer these and other questions, the FCAJ has launched a comprehensive...  Read More

Support the Transformation: Donate
You can add your voice to the center's in seeking meaningful justice reform in a variety of ways, including joining the FCAJ website, providing your comments, and by making a financial contribution. FCAJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your...  Read More

FCAJ Twitter Feed

Did You Know...

The U.S. houses 25% of the world's prisoners while only having 5% of the world's population.

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