House panel advances bill to create a safety net for domestic violence victims

A bill that would create stronger penalties for domestic violence abusers is one Committee stop away from reaching the House floor.

The House Justice Budget Subcommittee advanced HB 277 with a unanimous 14-0 vote following an emotional discussion where women — including Rep. Debra Tendrich, the bill’s co-sponsor — shared their own stories of abuse and said the legislation would create a safety net to help victims.

“Thirteen years ago, I left my abuser with just a suitcase and my child,” said Tendrich, a Lake Worth Democrat who sponsored the bill with Port Charlotte Republican Rep. Danny Nix. “It also brought me to turn pain into policy.”

Under HB 277, repeat domestic violence abuse would qualify as a penalty enhancement for defendants.

“HB 277 matters because it strengthens how courts recognize and respond to domestic violence,” said Yolanda Cope, who testified about the abuse she faced at the hands of her now ex-husband.

The bill would also authorize the courts to order electronic monitoring for a respondent in an injunction against domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, or sexual violence. The defendant would be required to cover the cost of the GPS monitoring as victims and law enforcement received real time updates.

“When victims don’t know where the offender is, fear is constant,” Tendrich said. 

A judge would also be allowed to take into consideration whether a person threatened to hurt the family pet or has a military protective order against him or her when the courts decide whether to grant a domestic violence injunction.

“It addresses a painful reality of domestic violence where abusers use pets as a tool of control,” Tendrich said. “Abusers are often known to say, ‘If you leave, that will kill your dog.’ Or they will harm the animals as a warning to show them what they would do next.”

The bill carried support from the military.

“This statutory update will update the court with a fuller picture,” said Samantha Arrington Sliney, the Southeast Regional Liaison for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. “HB 277 also enhances communication between civilian and military law enforcement when addressing domestic violence cases and this part is particularly important for the military community.”

Florida’s military installations recorded 745 domestic abuse reports in Fiscal Year 2024, she said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement would also be required to enter injunctions against dating and sexual violence into a statewide database.

In addition, the bill would also increase the amount of money domestic violence can receive to escape and get relocation assistance from $1,500 to $2,500, with a lifetime maximum to $5,000, instead of $3,000.

Tendrich originally filed her bill to raise the Department of Legal Affairs relocation amount up to $5,000 for a one-time payment and a lifetime maximum of $10,000, but those amounts were lowered when the bill went through the House Criminal Justice Committee last month and was amended.

The bill’s provisions to require 911 systems to flag addresses with prior domestic violence or dating violence calls and mandate domestic violence and strangulation training for paramedics and firefighters were also taken out.

Rep. Mike Gottlieb, a Davie Democrat, voted in favor of the bill Monday, but he questioned how the government will monitor the GPS tracking.

“There’s nothing in here that says how much the monitor’s going to cost, who’s going to pay for it, can it be done by a private company,” Gottlieb said.