Florida Senate - 2026 SB By Senator Rodriguez 40-00250A-26 20261144__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled

An act relating to the recording of protective investigations; amending s. 39.301, F.S.; requiring that interviews conducted pursuant to protective investigations be audio or video recorded; providing exceptions; providing that persons charged with certain criminal offenses do not have standing to object to an investigator’s failure to record such an interview; providing that an investigator’s failure to record such an interview is not grounds for precluding certain statements from certain proceedings; requiring the retention of certain recordings for a specified period; providing an effective date. 13

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15

Section 1. Subsection (25) is added to

(

b) A person who is charged with a criminal offense involving the abuse or neglect of a child does not have standing to object to an investigator’s failure to comply with paragraph 33 (a). An investigator’s failure to comply with paragraph

(

a) is not grounds for precluding any statements made during an interview which are otherwise admissible in a legal proceeding, 36 including a criminal or dependency proceeding. 37

(

c) A recording created pursuant to this

section must be retained for at least years. 39

Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 40