Florida Senate passes bill protecting first responders from harassment, interference
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Senate passed legislation protecting first responders from harassment and interference from the general public while in the line of duty.
Sen. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah Gardens, sponsored the bill, SB 184, requiring bystanders provide first responders an ample amount of space when they are addressing an emergency.
Avila’s legislation passed the chamber 39-0 on Thursday.
The senator explained that the bill makes it a first degree misdemeanor for any bystander, after receiving a warning, to not provide at least 14 feet of space between themselves and the first responders.
Minority Leader Sen. Lauren Book, D-Davie, sought reassurance that nothing in the bill would prevent an individual from lawfully recording the first responder incident at the appropriate distance.
“There is nothing in the bill that prohibits that,” Avila said. “And right now it is a constitutional right for anybody to be able to do that.”
Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach also expressed concerns with how the 14 feet would be accurately measured in real world scenarios.
“So the 14 feet comes from the average length of a car,” Avila said. “[…] If you’re trying to stabilize a victim, or multiple victims, there needs to be some sort of space in order from which you can perform any sort of CPR or any sort of life saving skills to that victim.”
During debate, Sens. Victor Torres, D-Kissimmee, and Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, complimented the bill sponsor for the legislation and expressed their support for it.
“As a former law enforcement officer, I know what this bill means to many who are on the scene to a chaotic situation,” Torres said. “And we need to realize that there’s so many moving parts in the location and we need to give the first responders, officers and paramedics the space they need to do their work.”
Pizzo said that if anyone has concerns with the legislation, it’s because they don’t have the “frame of reference” that he never wishes for anyone to have.
“I know that we may reflexively jump to horrible situations, the murder of George Floyd, and those situations,” Pizzo said.
He explained that even in terrible disasters, such as the Surfside condominium collapse, first responders had to have a buffer zone, even though many people wanted to rush into the debris to save their family and loved ones.
The bill is expected to be taken up by the House for approval before being sent to the governor’s desk.
Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, sponsored the House version of the bill, HB 75.
