Politics
Bill to strengthen domestic violence victim protections advances
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee passed a measure unanimously Tuesday, that seeks to strengthen protections for victims of domestic and dating violence.
Boynton Beach Democratic Sen. Lori Berman presented the bill (SB 240) known as the “Helping Abuse Victims Escape Now Act,” or HAVEN Act, and explained that the measure could introduce a new system for victims to alert authorities if they need help.
“SB 240 focuses on strengthening protections for victims of domestic and dating violence,” Berman said. “This bill basically does two things. The first thing that the bill calls for is a feasibility study to figure out a web based 911 alert system, which would allow victims to alert public safety agencies via unique telephone number.”
Berman said the system promises quicker time responses and real time data sharing between public safety answering points and law enforcement agencies.
The Division of Telecommunications would be tasked with consulting various agencies to conduct a study with a deadline for reporting findings by January 31, 2026.
Berman said she had already met with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and noted that the idea of setting up the communications system is feasible.
“What we are talking about is giving someone a unique telephone number that they can call in the event that there is an absolute emergency,” Berman said. “And through that telephone number, they would get geolocating, they would have the police be able to immediately come out.”
Berman said there would be no one on the other end of the phone when a victim calls in, to shield them from a perpetrator, but noted the system is essentially 911.
“The other change in the bill is we make statutorily congruent dating violence and domestic violence,” Berman said. “What that does is it opens up the ability to access state resources for people in dating violence relationships.”
Amy Trask, a domestic violence survivor and co-author of the bill, detailed her own journey and said the bill was born out of necessity.
“Abuse doesn’t care about labels. It devastates without distinction, and it shatters people into undeniable pieces,” Trask said. “I remember being my crying child’s physical shield, promising him that he’d be okay, even though I silently knew I wouldn’t be alive to see it.”
Trask then recited statistics on domestic and dating violence showing it affects women, men, and children.
“One in three women, one in four men, experience this, 20% of homicides are attributed to it, and it’s one of the leading causes of death in pregnant women,” Trask said. “5 million children witness it every year, and of those, one in three become victims themselves. The FDLE uniform crime report says that Florida saw 106,615 cases in its most recent report in a year. But this legislation is more than a response to these statistics, it is a lifeline and a promise.”
Trask said the legislation provides a safety net and protection and sends a message to victims that they are seen.
“By making these definitions statutorily congruent and opening up programs to victims of dating violence, we provide a safety net, and we tell survivors that they are seen, that they are valued and that we have them,” Trask said. “We provide an equitable safety net for them to fall into, and we provide protection.”
“This isn’t just a legal fix. This is a moral imperative. If there’s a way we can stop this violence, to prevent the next tragedy … we have to take it,” Trask added.
Berman said in closing that she often reads news that is related to domestic violence in Florida and noted that she will do what she can to stop it.
“I don’t like to have to read these in the newspaper,” Berman said. “If there’s anything that we can do to stop these things from happening, I will do whatever can be done. And I think this bill is a first step in stopping these kinds of instances.”
The bill will now move to the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee.
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
A bill making it easier for public schools to be converted into charter schools is one vote from passing in the House after clearing its final Committee hurdle.
Members of the House Education and Employment Committee voted 11-4 for an amended version of HB 123, which would change the standard for municipalities to turn over public school property to private education companies.
The bill, sponsored by Pensacola Republican Rep. Alex Andrade, would exclude School Boards, teachers, and administrators from voting on the matter. Instead, the decision would fall solely to the parents of a given school, provided their children have been enrolled there for at least two years. Approval would require 50% support.
The charter school would have to be a “job engine,” meaning it would train students to fill local workforce needs and attract related businesses to the area. Municipalities could also apply to convert a public school within their jurisdiction into a job engine charter if it earned a grade below an “A” from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) for five consecutive years.
The Florida Citizens Alliance, Foundation for Florida’s Future and Americans for Prosperity signaled support for HB 123, which Andrade amended to remove proposed limitations on land banking by school districts.
Andrade said in the bill’s prior Committee stop that his proposal shifts decisions about a school’s future from its employees and administrators to those he considered its most important stakeholders. “Who cares more about that child than that child’s parents?” he said.
Over 40 people, including representatives of the Florida AFL-CIO and State Innovation Exchange, attended Tuesday’s Committee meeting to oppose the measure.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—”Donald Trump and DOGE are ‘trying to get around’ privacy laws to gather your personal info” via Justin Glawe of Rolling Stone
—”Wall Street bursts with anger over tariff ‘stupidity’” via Rob Copeland, Maureen Farrell and Lauren Hirsch of The New York Times
—”What happened the last time the U.S. went all-in on tariffs?” via Nicole Narea of Vox
—”The Democrats won’t acknowledge the scale of Trump’s tariff mess” via Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic
—“Marco Rubio said he’d protect lifesaving aid overseas. DOGE disagreed.” via Annie Gowen of The Washington Post
—”‘Total uncertainty’: Cuban migrants left in legal limbo under Trump’s new policies” via Maykel Gonzalez of the Miami Herald
—”Americans have $35 trillion in housing wealth — and it’s costing them” via Veronica Dagher and Anne Tergesen of The Wall Street Journal
—”Ron DeSantis officials assigned $10 million to his wife’s charity. Was it legal?” via Lawrence Mower and Alexandra Glorioso of the Tampa Bay Times
—”UF student arrested, sent to immigration detention facility” via Bea Lunardini of Fresh Take Florida
—”Gators are National Chompions once again and Gator Nation is back” via Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“In a time when public pressure often seeks to silence rather than engage, New College of Florida is reaffirming its role in creating space for open inquiry — not eliminating it.”
— New College Public Policy Events Director Alexandra Nicole Islas, on platforming accused rapist Russell Brand.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Order a Speed Rail to celebrate the last committee stop for a transportation bill that could boost Florida’s speed limits.
Enjoy a Power Drill while you can, because legislation to ban drilling in environmentally sensitive areas has cleared its second and final House committee.
Get a round of Keep It Locals now that the Senate Rules Committee approved a measure building on the 2023 Live Local Act.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Magic host Hawks with postseason looming
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Orlando Magic host the Atlanta Hawks with postseason implications (7 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network-Florida).
Orlando (38-40) has clinched a spot in the play-in tournament but could finish anywhere between seventh, their current position, and 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando is a game ahead of Atlanta entering tonight’s contest. If the regular season ended today, the Magic would face the Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament, with the winner advancing to the main playoff draw.
With so few games remaining, the Eastern Conference seeding is extremely fluid. The margin between Orlando, the seventh-place team, and Miami, the 10th-place team, is just 2.5 games. The Magic will face the Hawks again in the regular season finale.
Orlando has played good basketball over the past few weeks, winning six of their last eight games. Paolo Banchero has been the offensive force, scoring 30 points or more in five of the last eight games while recording three double-doubles.
The team split two games in February, with both teams winning on the road. The Hawks beat the Magic 112-106 on Feb. 10, and the Magic won in Atlanta 10 days later, 114-108.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
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