CS/HB 535 - Florida Safe Harbor Act

• Establishes legislative intent to treat sexually exploited children as dependent rather than delinquent, with goals including ensuring safety, severing bonds with traffickers, and enabling child testimony in prosecutions.

• Creates "safe houses" and "short-term safe houses" as secure residential facilities for sexually exploited children ages 6 and older, with required services including counseling, medical care, education, and 24-hour supervision.

• Requires law enforcement to deliver sexually exploited children to short-term safe houses when available; creates rebuttable presumption that placement in safe houses is necessary for these children in shelter and disposition hearings.

• Mandates Department of Children and Family Services districts to assess sexually exploited children for safe-house placement and include sexual exploitation services in district master plans; requires annual reporting on safe-house placements and capacity.

• Increases civil penalties for prostitution violations from $500 to $5,000, with $4,500 of each penalty directed to fund safe houses; creates presumption against filing delinquency petitions for children alleged to violate prostitution statutes unless previously adjudicated delinquent.