A controversial bill that would prevent investigations of local law enforcement by civilian review boards was formally sent Wednesday to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The measure (HB 601), which the Legislature passed last month, would affect at least 21 cities with civilian review boards.
Cities including Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Key West, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach have had such boards.
Supporters of the boards say they can delve into complaints about alleged police wrongdoing.
The bill would allow sheriffs to establish “civilian oversight” boards that would review policies and procedures of law-enforcement agencies. Each board would include three to seven members appointed by the sheriff. One of the members would have to be a retired law enforcement officer.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida criticized the bill, saying it would hamper efforts to increase trust between residents and law-enforcement officials. “(Civilian review boards) pose no threat to law-abiding officers and are designed to have a specific scope of work,” ACLU of Florida policy strategist NR Hines said in a February statement. “For example, here in Leon County the civilian review board can only review closed cases, but there is more transparency in police activity --- which is important to build trust between the community and the police department.”
The First Amendment Foundation sent a letter to Desantis advising him not to pass the bill, calling it blatantly unconstitutional and likely to be shot down in court.
The Legislature on Wednesday also sent a bill (SB 184) to DeSantis that would make it a crime to “harass” law enforcement officers, correctional probation officers, firefighters or emergency medical-care providers while they're working.
The bill would create a second-degree misdemeanor charge for people who get within 25 feet of first responders after being warned not to harass or interfere with their work.