Bill Text: FL S1300 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Animals Working with Law Enforcement Officers
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-05-01 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1047 (Ch. 2023-110) [S1300 Detail]
Download: Florida-2023-S1300-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2023 SB 1300
By Senator Burton
12-01458A-23 20231300__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to animals working with law
3 enforcement officers; amending s. 843.01, F.S.;
4 prohibiting the knowing and willful resistance to,
5 obstruction of, or opposition to a police canine or
6 police horse under certain circumstances; providing
7 criminal penalties; making technical changes; amending
8 s. 843.19, F.S.; increasing criminal penalties for
9 persons who actually and intentionally maliciously
10 touch, strike, or cause bodily harm to a police
11 canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse;
12 increasing criminal penalties for persons who
13 intentionally or knowingly maliciously harass, tease,
14 interfere with, or attempt to interfere with a police
15 canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse while
16 the animal is in the performance of its duties;
17 providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 843.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to
22 read:
23 843.01 Resisting officers, other persons, or police animals
24 officer with violence to his or her person.—A person who Whoever
25 knowingly and willfully resists, obstructs, or opposes any of
26 the following officers, persons, or police animals by offering
27 or doing violence to any such officers, persons, or animals
28 commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in
29 s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084:
30 (1) An officer as defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6),
31 (7), (8), or (9).;
32 (2) A member of the Florida Commission on Offender Review
33 or any administrative aide or supervisor employed by the
34 commission.;
35 (3) A parole and probation supervisor.;
36 (4) A county probation officer.;
37 (5) Any personnel or representative of the Department of
38 Law Enforcement.; or
39 (6) Any other person legally authorized to execute process
40 in the execution of legal process or in the lawful execution of
41 any legal duty.
42 (7) A police canine or police horse as those terms are
43 defined in s. 843.19 working at the direction of or in tandem
44 with an officer or a legally authorized person, by offering or
45 doing violence to the person of such officer or legally
46 authorized person, is guilty of a felony of the third degree,
47 punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
48 Section 2. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 843.19,
49 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
50 843.19 Offenses against police canines, fire canines, SAR
51 canines, or police horses.—
52 (3) Any person who actually and intentionally maliciously
53 touches, strikes, or causes bodily harm to a police canine, fire
54 canine, SAR canine, or police horse commits a felony of the
55 third misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in
56 s. 775.082, or s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
57 (4) Any person who intentionally or knowingly maliciously
58 harasses, teases, interferes with, or attempts to interfere with
59 a police canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse while
60 the animal is in the performance of its duties commits a
61 misdemeanor of the first second degree, punishable as provided
62 in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
63 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.
