‘Officer Jason Raynor Act,’ which would hike penalties for cop killers, again set for House floor vote

For the third straight Session, a bill that would hike penalties for cop killers is heading to the House floor.

The chamber approved the legislation last year, but a last-minute dispute with the Senate over minor language differences ultimately kept it from reaching the Governor’s desk.

This time, there are no differences between the Senate and House bills as they near passage.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted 20-1 for the measure (HB 17), which would require life sentences without parole for people convicted of manslaughter in the death of a police officer.

Florida law provides that it is illegal to use force or violence to resist law enforcement. But statutory language referencing an officer’s “execution of legal duty” has allowed some defendants to claim an arrest or detainment was unlawful, allowing for comparatively lenient sentencing.

Such was the case with 26-year-old Daytona Beach Police officer Jason Raynor, the bill’s namesake. In June 2025, an appeals court affirmed the 30-year sentence of Raynor’s killer, Othal Wallace, who shot Raynor in the head in 2021.

Prosecutors had sought a first-degree murder conviction for Wallace, who resisted lawful detainment by Raynor, forcing a physical confrontation. Jurors found Wallace, who had written online about his inclination toward violence against police officers, guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge.

Community outrage followed his sentencing. So did legislation in 2024 from Fort Myers Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin and Jacksonville Republican Rep. Jessica Baker, both former Assistant State Attorneys.

Baker has continued to carry the bill in the House, with Senate sponsorship in the 2025 and 2026 Sessions from St. Augustine Republican Tom Leek, whose measure (SB 156) cleared its second committee stop last week and is scheduled for its final pre-floor hurdle Tuesday.

Aside from increasing sentencing levels to ensure tougher penalties for violent acts against officers, the legislation expands the definition of who qualifies as a protected officer to include correctional, probation and auxiliary officers, and raises the offense severity for crimes such as assault, battery, aggravated assault and aggravated battery when the victim is an officer.

The legislation also includes and defines a “good faith” standard for police conduct during arrests and detainment situations.

North Miami Democratic Rep. Dotie Joseph, who cast the sole “no” vote, noted that she has represented and defended police in court and likes HB 17 “overall.” But she expressed concerns about making the standard for rightful resistance the initial probable cause for a detainment or arrest, rather than an officer’s actions after an interaction commences.

She cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in September permitting racial profiling by law enforcement and referenced “instances right now where certain kinds of law enforcement are engaging in sexual assault of some people.”

Baker said HB 17 wouldn’t apply to such a situation because, in that instance, the officer wouldn’t be engaged in their official duties and a person could lawfully defend themselves.

Tampa Republican Rep. Traci Koster reflected on a rising disrespect for authority and how it has led to more violent confrontations between police and citizens. She said that while there are definitely “bad apples” among police, the U.S. overall has “the best justice system in the world, and we have to use it.”

“If you think you’ve been wronged by a court order, by an allegation or by an arrest or by a claim, that’s fine. That’s what our justice system is for,” she said. “You don’t get to just fight back and ignore law and order because you don’t agree. There’s a system for that.”

Davie Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb said his gut reaction when he first heard of the “Officer Jason Raynor Act,” as a defense lawyer, was to oppose it. But he’s since come around to supporting it.

“What we need to get back to is a premise that law enforcement is there to protect and serve,” he said. “There’s become a culture of distrust. And maybe some of that was earned by law enforcement, and maybe some of it wasn’t, but … the basis of an orderly society is that we have a respect for our judicial system, and law enforcement is there to protect the integrity of the judicial system.”

Gottlieb added that it’s almost always a losing proposition to act violently toward police.

“There are going to be situations like Jason Raynor’s where somebody unfortunately gets the best of law enforcement and they commit a horrible act, but (even then), you’re going to lose eventually in court,” he said. “The arrest might be wrong. It might be egregious. It might be illegal from your perspective … and if you feel that you are wronged, that’s why we have due process.”