Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed two bills on April 12, 2024, that will limit the ability of First Amendment Auditors to monitor police during public audits within the Sunshine State.
SB 184 establishes a 25-foot zone around a first responder that can be invoked if the first responder feels that someone is intending to harass, impede, threaten, or interfere with their duties. After the verbal warning, if the person does not step away from the first responder they may be subject to arrest on second degree misdemeanor charges with penalties of up to a $500 fine or up to two months in jail.
HB 601 may also be directed at first amendment auditors as it disbands existing civilian-run police review boards and replaces them with law enforcement oversight boards with members appointed directly to the boards by law enforcement officers. The new boards may be composed of 3-7 members, with the requirement that one member be a retired law enforcement officer. The law also bans citizens from conducting extrajudicial investigations against law enforcement.
While there have been limited reactions to the laws by the First Amendment auditing community, it also may be some time before auditors challenge the new laws. HR 601 is not set to go into effect until July and SB 184 goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
First Amendment Auditors and others may also have trouble challenging SB 184 in court. Unlike a 2022 “10-Foot Law” that was made into law in Arizona and later blocked by a federal court, Florida’s law simply requires a person to step 25 feet away from the first responder upon request. It does not require an individual to stop filming police activities.
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