Loading chat...
FL S1386
Bill
Status
Passed
5/23/2025
Primary Sponsor
Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
Click for details
AI Summary
- Defines "utility worker" as a person wearing visible patches, emblems, or identification markings that clearly identify them as employed by or contracted with an entity providing electricity, gas, water, wastewater, telephone, or communications services to the public
- Reclassifies assault and battery offenses committed against utility workers engaged in work on critical infrastructure, increasing penalties by one degree (e.g., second-degree misdemeanor assault becomes first-degree misdemeanor; first-degree misdemeanor battery becomes third-degree felony)
- Authorizes warrantless arrest by law enforcement when there is probable cause to believe a person has committed assault upon a utility worker, consistent with existing protections for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical care providers
- Amends juvenile fingerprinting and criminal justice records statutes to conform references from "other specified officers" to "other specified persons," reflecting the expanded scope of protected individuals under the act
- Takes effect October 1, 2025
Legislative Description
Assault or Battery on a Utility Worker
Last Action
Chapter No. 2025-73
5/23/2025
Committee Referrals
Fiscal Policy4/14/2025
Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice3/26/2025
Full Bill Text
No bill text available