Required Notice of Intent to Contact a Victim

Plain English Breakdown

The official metadata shows conflicting statuses: 'Passed Legislature' versus 'Died in Judiciary Committee'. The effective date of July 1, 2026, is listed despite the bill dying in committee.

Required Notice Before Contacting a Victim

This bill creates a new rule requiring lawyers and investigators to file a notice at least 72 hours before contacting a victim in a criminal case.

What This Bill Does

• Creates Section 914.18 of the Florida Statutes.
• Requires attorneys, investigators, or other agents acting for a defendant to file a notice within 72 hours before talking to a victim.
• Applies only when contacting a victim to get information about an active criminal case.
• Excludes contact that happens during court hearings or depositions.
• Mandates the use of a standard form created by state attorneys in each judicial circuit.

Who It Names or Affects

• Attorneys acting for criminal defendants
• Investigators working on behalf of criminal defendants
• Other agents representing criminal defendants
• Victims involved in pending criminal proceedings

Terms To Know

Judicial circuit

A specific geographic area where courts operate and state attorneys work.

Deposition

A formal out-of-court statement given under oath as part of a legal case.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill text does not specify what happens if someone fails to file the notice.
• The exact content or layout of the standard form is not described in this excerpt, only that state attorneys must create it.
• This summary reflects a version passed by the legislature but later died in committee; final status may differ.

Official Summary Text

Required Notice of Intent to Contact a Victim; Requires specified persons acting on behalf of criminal defendant to file specified notice within specified timeframe before contacting victim in criminal proceeding for specified purpose; provides applicability; requires that such notice be filed on standard form developed by state attorney in each judicial circuit.

Current Bill Text

CS/HB 285 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb285-01-c1
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to required notice of intent to 2
contact a victim; creating s. 914.18, F.S.; requiring 3
specified persons acting on behalf of a criminal 4
defendant to file a specified notice within a 5
specified timeframe before contacting a victim in a 6
criminal proceeding for a specified purpose; providing 7
applicability; requiring that such notice be filed on 8
a standard form developed by the state attorney in 9
each judicial circuit; providing an effective date. 10
11
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 12
13
Section 1. Section 914.18, Florida Statutes, is created to 14
read: 15
914.18 Required notice of intent to contact victim.— 16
(1) Before any attorney, investigator, or other agent 17
acting on behalf of a criminal defendant may contact a victim 18
for the purpose of obtaining information relating to a pending 19
criminal proceeding, he or she must file a notice of intent to 20
contact the victim within 72 hours before making, or attempting 21
to make, such contact. This subsection does not apply to contact 22
with a victim which occurs during a court proceeding or 23
deposition. 24
(2) The notice required under subsection (1) must be filed 25

CS/HB 285 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb285-01-c1
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

on a standard form developed and made available by the state 26
attorney in each judicial circuit. 27
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 28