Senate Bill 296 (2026) — Victims of domestic violence and dating violence
SB 296
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 By Senator Berman 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 1 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to victims of domestic violence and 2 dating violence; creating s. 741.317, F.S.; providing 3 a
short title; creating the HAVEN Coordinating Council 4 within the Department of Law Enforcement; requiring 5 the department to provide certain services; defining 6 terms; specifying the composition of the coordinating 7 council; providing requirements for member 8 appointments, election of a chair, and meetings; 9 requiring that member appointments be completed and 10 the first meeting of the coordinating council be held 11 by dates certain; specifying duties of the 12 coordinating council; authorizing counties to create 13 county-level HAVEN councils; authorizing county-level 14 HAVEN councils to take certain actions; requiring the 15 coordinating council to provide certain quarterly 16 reports; requiring the coordinating council to 17 annually submit a certain report to specified entities 18 and persons, the Governor, and the Legislature by a 19 specified date; requiring county-level HAVEN councils 20 to annually submit a certain report to the Department 21 of Law Enforcement and the coordinating council by a 22 specified date; providing for funding of the 23 coordinating council; specifying that the act 24 supersedes certain local regulations; providing for 25 legislative review and repeal of the coordinating 26 council; amending s. 741.401, F.S.; revising 27 legislative findings to include victims of dating 28 violence; reordering and amending s. 741.402, F.S.; 29
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 2 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. defining the term “dating violence”; amending s. 30 741.403, F.S.; providing that victims of dating 31 violence may apply to participate in the Attorney 32 General’s address confidentiality program; amending s. 33 741.408, F.S.; requiring the Attorney General to 34 designate certain entities to assist victims of dating 35 violence applying to be address confidentiality 36 program participants; amending ss. 741.465, 741.4651, 37 and 960.001, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes 38 made by the act; providing an effective date. 39 40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 41 42
Section
Section 741.317, Florida Statutes, is created to 43 read: 44 741.317 Helping Abuse Victims Escape Now Act; coordinating 45 council; membership; duties; reports; funding; preemption.— 46
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This
section may be cited as the “Helping 47 Abuse Victims Escape Now (HAVEN) Act.” 48
(2) CREATION.—The HAVEN Coordinating Council, a 49 coordinating council as defined in s. 20.03, is created within 50 the Department of Law Enforcement. The Department of Law 51 Enforcement shall provide administrative and staff support 52 services relating to the functions of the coordinating council. 53
(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 54 (a) “Dating violence” has the same meaning as in s. 55 784.046(1)(d). 56 (b) “Domestic violence” has the same meaning as in s. 57 741.28. 58
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 3 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. (c) “Dynamic website” means a website that generates 59 webpages in real time and can change its content and layout 60 depending on various parameters, such as user preferences, time 61 of day, and location. 62
(4) MEMBERSHIP; MEETINGS.— 63 (
a) The HAVEN Coordinating Council is composed of the 64 following members: 65 1. A representative from the Department of Law Enforcement, 66 appointed by the executive director of the Department of Law 67 Enforcement. 68 2. A representative from a local law enforcement agency, 69 appointed by the sheriff of the county in which the law 70 enforcement agency is located. 71 3. A representative from a victim services program, 72 appointed by the secretary of the Department of Children and 73 Families. 74 4.
A representative from a domestic violence advocacy 75 group, appointed by the secretary of the Department of Children 76 and Families. 77 5. An expert in technology matters, appointed jointly by 78 the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 79 Representatives. 80 6. An attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar and 81 who is a member of the Family Law
Section of The Florida Bar, 82 appointed by the president of The Florida Bar. 83 7. Any other representative as determined by the HAVEN 84 Coordinating Council, appointed by the chair of the council. 85 (
b) Appointments to the coordinating council must be made 86 by September 1, 2026. Each member serves at the pleasure of the 87
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 4 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. official who appointed the member. A vacancy on the coordinating 88 council must be filled in the same manner as the original 89 appointment. 90 (
c) The coordinating council shall elect a chair from among 91 its members. 92 (
d) The first meeting of the coordinating council must be 93 held no later than October 1, 2026. The coordinating council may 94 hold its meetings through teleconference or other electronic 95 means. 96
(5) DUTIES.—The HAVEN Coordinating Council shall: 97 (
a) Develop a dynamic website that has the ability to do 98 all of the following: 99 1. Synchronize with law enforcement databases to ensure 100 real-time data sharing and updates. 101 2. Allow a user to generate a unique telephone number from 102 which the user can call a 911 emergency telephone number when he 103 or she is in need of assistance from law enforcement. 104 3. Allow a user to choose a personalized numerical code or 105 phrase that discreetly alerts a law enforcement agency or 106 sheriff’s office when the user calls his or her uniquely 107 generated telephone number. 108 4.
Automatically transmit specified data to a law 109 enforcement agency or sheriff’s office when a user calls his or 110 her generated telephone number and uses his or her personalized 111 numerical code or phrase, which then triggers the immediate 112 dispatch of a law enforcement officer or sheriff’s deputy to the 113 user’s location. 114 (
b) Establish a public awareness campaign to inform the 115 public about the dynamic website and its features. 116
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 5 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. (
c) Coordinate with local law enforcement agencies and 117 sheriff’s offices to develop and implement a training program to 118 ensure law enforcement officers are equipped to respond swiftly 119 and effectively to alerts that are generated through the dynamic 120 website. 121 (
d) Meet at least quarterly to review relevant data, 122 identify trends, and determine alternative or additional avenues 123 of support for victims of domestic violence or dating violence. 124
(6) COUNTY-LEVEL HAVEN COUNCILS.— 125 (
a) Each county may establish a county-level HAVEN council. 126 County-level councils shall operate in coordination with the 127 HAVEN Coordinating Council and may collaborate with local 128 domestic violence fatality review teams established pursuant to 129 s. 741.316. 130 (
b) A county-level HAVEN council may do all of the 131 following: 132 1. Review cases involving domestic violence and dating 133 violence, including fatalities and near-fatalities, in 134 coordination with local domestic violence fatality review teams. 135 2. Contribute to the development and maintenance of the 136 dynamic website by providing localized data, resources, and 137 impact metrics. 138
(7) REPORTS.— 139 (
a) The HAVEN Coordinating Council shall do all of the 140 following: 141 1. Provide quarterly reports to local law enforcement 142 agencies and sheriff’s offices. 143 2. Beginning in 2027, annually by November 1 submit to the 144 Governor, the Attorney General, the executive director of the 145
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 6 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Department of Law Enforcement, the President of the Senate, and 146 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report that 147 compiles the progress and cost breakdowns relating to the 148 establishment of the dynamic website and, once the dynamic 149 website is functioning, statistics relating to the usage and 150 effectiveness of the website and the effectiveness of the 151 coordinating council. 152 (
b) Beginning in 2027, a county-level HAVEN council shall 153 annually by November 1 submit to the Department of Law 154 Enforcement and the HAVEN Coordinating Council a report 155 summarizing the activities, findings, and recommendations of the 156 county-level council. 157
(8) FUNDING.— 158 (
a) The Legislature may appropriate funds annually to the 159 Department of Law Enforcement to be used to implement this act. 160 (
b) The HAVEN Coordinating Council may apply for and 161 receive grants and accept donations to support the development 162 and maintenance of the dynamic website. 163
(9) PREEMPTION.—This
section supersedes any local 164 government regulations on matters covered under this section. A 165 local government or political subdivision may not administer, 166 implement, or enforce any law, rule, regulation, standard, or 167 provision that conflicts with this section. 168
(10) REPEAL.—In accordance with s. 20.052(8), this
section 169 is repealed October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from 170 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 171
Section
Section 741.401, Florida Statutes, is amended to 172 read: 173 741.401 Legislative findings; purpose.—The Legislature 174
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 7 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or 175 threatened domestic violence or dating violence frequently 176 establish new addresses in order to prevent their assailants or 177 probable assailants from finding them.
The purpose of ss. 178 741.401-741.409 is to enable state and local agencies to respond 179 to requests for public records without disclosing the location 180 of a victim of domestic violence or dating violence, to enable 181 interagency cooperation with the Attorney General in providing 182 address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence or 183 dating violence, and to enable state and local agencies to 184 accept a program participant’s use of an address designated by 185 the Attorney General as a substitute mailing address. 186
Section
Section 741.402, Florida Statutes, is reordered 187 and amended to read: 188 741.402
Definitions; ss. 741.401-741.409.—Unless the 189 context clearly requires otherwise, as used in ss. 741.401-190 741.409, the term: 191 (1) “Address” means a residential street address, school 192 address, or work address of an individual, as specified on the 193 individual’s application to be a program participant under ss. 194 741.401-741.409. 195 (4)(2) “Program participant” means a person certified as a 196 program participant under s. 741.403. 197 (2) “Dating violence” means
an act of violence as defined 198 in s. 784.046(1)(a), including a threat of such
an act, 199 committed against an individual in a continuing and significant 200 relationship as determined by the factors listed in s. 201 784.046(1)(d), regardless of whether the act or threat has been 202 reported to law enforcement. 203
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 8 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. (3) “Domestic violence” means
an act as defined in s. 204 741.28 and includes a threat of such acts committed against an 205 individual in a domestic situation, regardless of whether these 206 acts or threats have been reported to law enforcement officers. 207
Section 4. Paragraphs (
a) and (
d) of subsection (1) of 208
section 741.403, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 209 741.403 Address confidentiality program; application; 210 certification.— 211
(1) An adult person, a parent or guardian acting on behalf 212 of a minor, or a guardian acting on behalf of a person 213 adjudicated incapacitated under
chapter 744 may apply to the 214 Attorney General to have an address designated by the Attorney 215 General serve as the person’s address or the address of the 216 minor or incapacitated person. To the extent possible within 217 funds appropriated for this purpose, the Attorney General shall 218 approve an application if it is filed in the manner and on the 219 form prescribed by the Attorney General and if it contains all 220 of the following: 221 (
a) A sworn statement by the applicant that the applicant 222 has good reason to believe that the applicant, or the minor or 223 incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made, is 224 a victim of domestic violence or dating violence, and that the 225 applicant fears for his or her safety or his or her children’s 226 safety or the safety of the minor or incapacitated person on 227 whose behalf the application is made. 228 (
d) A statement that the new address or addresses that the 229 applicant requests must not be disclosed for the reason that 230 disclosure will increase the risk of domestic violence or dating 231 violence. 232
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 9 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Section
Section 741.408, Florida Statutes, is amended to 233 read: 234 741.408 Assistance for program applicants.—The Attorney 235 General shall designate state and local agencies and nonprofit 236 agencies that provide counseling and shelter services to victims 237 of domestic violence or dating violence to assist persons 238 applying to be program participants. Assistance and counseling 239 rendered by the Office of the Attorney General or its designees 240 to applicants does not constitute legal advice. 241
Section
Section 741.465, Florida Statutes, is amended to 242 read: 243 741.465 Public records exemption for the Address 244 Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic Violence.— 245
(1) For purposes of this section, the term “address” means 246 a residential street address, school address, or work address, 247 as specified on the individual’s application to be a program 248 participant in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims 249 of Violence. 250
(2) The addresses, corresponding telephone numbers, and 251 social security numbers of program participants in the Address 252 Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic Violence held by 253 the Office of the Attorney General are exempt from s. 119.07(1) 254 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, except the 255 information may be disclosed under the following circumstances: 256 to a law enforcement agency for purposes of assisting in the 257 execution of a valid arrest warrant; if directed by a court 258 order, to a person identified in the order; or if the 259 certification has been canceled.
For purposes of this section, 260 the term “address” means a residential street address, school 261
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 10 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. address, or work address, as specified on the individual’s 262 application to be a program participant in the Address 263 Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic Violence. 264 (3)
(2) The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of 265 participants in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims 266 of Domestic Violence contained in voter registration and voting 267 records held by the supervisor of elections and the Department 268 of State are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of 269 the State Constitution, except the information may be disclosed 270 under the following circumstances: to a law enforcement agency 271 for purposes of assisting in the execution of an arrest warrant 272 or, if directed by a court order, to a person identified in the 273 order.
This exemption applies to information made exempt by this 274 subsection before, on, or after the effective date of the 275 exemption. 276
Section
Section 741.4651, Florida Statutes, is amended 277 to read: 278 741.4651 Public records exemption; victims of stalking or 279 aggravated stalking.—The names, addresses, and telephone numbers 280 of persons who are victims of stalking or aggravated stalking 281 are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art.
I of the State 282 Constitution in the same manner that the names, addresses, and 283 telephone numbers of participants in the Address Confidentiality 284 Program for Victims of Domestic Violence which are held by the 285 Attorney General under s. 741.465 are exempt from disclosure, 286 provided that the victim files a sworn statement of stalking 287 with the Office of the Attorney General and otherwise complies 288 with the procedures in ss. 741.401-741.409. 289
Section 8. Paragraph (
c) of subsection (1) of
section 290
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 296 26-00096-26 2026296__ Page 11 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 960.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 291 960.001 Guidelines for fair treatment of victims and 292 witnesses in the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems.— 293
(1) The Department of Legal Affairs, the state attorneys, 294 the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile 295 Justice, the Florida Commission on Offender Review, the State 296 Courts Administrator and circuit court administrators, the 297 Department of Law Enforcement, and every sheriff’s department, 298 police department, or other law enforcement agency as defined in 299 s. 943.10(4) shall develop and implement guidelines for the use 300 of their respective agencies, which guidelines are consistent 301 with the purposes of this act and s. 16(b), Art.
I of the State 302 Constitution and are designed to implement s. 16(b), Art. I of 303 the State Constitution and to achieve the following objectives: 304 (
c) Information concerning protection available to victim 305 or witness.—A victim or witness shall be furnished, as a matter 306 of course, with information on steps that are available to law 307 enforcement officers and state attorneys to protect victims and 308 witnesses from intimidation. Victims of domestic violence or 309 dating violence shall also be given information about the 310 address confidentiality program provided under s. 741.403. 311