A bill that would shield the identities of crime victims and some police officers who say they are victims of crimes is heading to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk after the Legislature overwhelmingly approved it Wednesday.
The Florida Senate voted 33-4 on the bill. The House passed the bill unanimously last week.
The Florida Supreme Court struck down portions of legislation known as “Marsy’s Law” more than two years ago. It protected the identities of crime victims. The state’s highest court left the door open for the Legislature to amend the law.
Under the new bill, the identities of police officers who said they were victims of assault or threats would be kept confidential for 72 hours and exempt from disclosures in public records for 60 days. Identifying details about crime victims – including any information that could be used to locate, intimidate, harass or abuse a victim – would be kept confidential indefinitely.
The bills do not protect victims' names from being released in court. Under Florida’s constitution, defendants have a right to question and cross-examine their accusers. In these cases, the victims’ names would be identified in court and related documents. If the governor signs the bill, lawmakers would also have to re-approve the measures again after 2031.
Marsy’s Law was initially a constitutional amendment that Florida voters approved in 2018. The amendment intended to protect crime victims from having their identities revealed in public records.
However, some police agencies began invoking Marsy’s Law for officers who used lethal force in the field, under the idea that the officers were victims, as well. The confidentiality of police officers was contested in court, leading to the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling.
The law is named for Marsy Ann Nicholas, a 21-year-old college senior in California who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend. Her murder sparked a national initiative to protect the identities of crime victims.
This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporters can be reached at gvelasquezneira@ufl.edu.
