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HB 715 2026
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hb715-00
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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 school and child care facility 2
emergency alerts; creating s. 784.072, F.S.; defining 3
terms; requiring a local law enforcement agency to 4
activate the emergency alert system and issue a Ya Ya 5
Alert to public and private schools and child care 6
facilities under certain circumstances; requiring 7
local law enforcement agencies to create and maintain 8
a list of such schools and facilities within their 9
jurisdictions; providing requirements for the 10
maintenance of such list; providing immunity from 11
civil liability to certain persons for damages for 12
complying in good faith with specified provisions; 13
providing a presumption of good faith; providing 14
construction; requiring the Department of Law 15
Enforcement, in cooperation with specified 16
departments, to activate the emergency alert system 17
and issue an Imminent Threat Alert at the request of a 18
local law enforcement agency under certain 19
circumstances; providing requirements for the issuance 20
of Imminent Threat Alerts; providing immunity from 21
civil liability to certain persons for damages for 22
complying in good faith with specified provisions; 23
providing a presumption of good faith; providing 24
construction; providing an effective date. 25
HB 715 2026
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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
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 27
28
Section 1. Section 784.072, Florida Statutes, is created 29
to read: 30
784.072 Notification of imminent threat to schools and 31
child care facilities or the public; Ya Ya Alert; Imminent 32
Threat Alert.— 33
(1) As used in this section, the term: 34
(a) "Child care facility" has the same meaning as in s. 35
402.302. 36
(b) "Imminent Threat Alert" means a notification issued 37
pursuant to subsection (3) which informs the public that an 38
imminent threat exists such that the lives and safety of people 39
are endangered, including, but not limited to, instances in 40
which a person suspected of killing or causing serious bodily 41
injury to another person or assaulting another person with a 42
deadly weapon has fled the scene of the offense. 43
(c) "Private school" has the same meaning as in s. 44
1002.01. 45
(d) "Ya Ya Alert" means a notification issued pursuant to 46
subsection (2) which informs public schools, private schools, 47
and child care facilities that an imminent threat exists, 48
including, but not limited to, instances in which a person 49
suspected of killing or causing serious bodily injury to another 50
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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
person or assaulting another person with a deadly weapon has 51
fled the scene of the offense, and which advises the schools and 52
facilities to lock their doors and encourages persons in those 53
schools and facilities to remain in lockdown and be vigilant in 54
watching for and reporting any suspicious activity. 55
(2)(a) If a local law enforcement agency that has 56
jurisdiction over the scene of an incident determines that the 57
scene gives rise to an imminent threat to the public, the agency 58
must activate the emergency alert system and issue a Ya Ya Alert 59
to all public and private schools and child care facilities 60
within a 3-mile radius of the incident location and may activate 61
the system and issue the alert to any other public or private 62
school or child care facility the agency determines is at risk, 63
given its proximity to the incident, including an incident in 64
which all of the following conditions are satisfied: 65
1. A person has been killed or has suffered serious bodily 66
injury, or a person has been assaulted with a deadly weapon by 67
another person. 68
2. The person suspected of committing the offense has fled 69
the scene of the offense. 70
3. The law enforcement agency investigating the offense 71
has determined that the suspect poses an imminent threat to the 72
public safety. 73
(b) For purposes of complying with this subsection, each 74
local law enforcement agency shall create and maintain a list of 75
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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
all public schools, private schools, and child care facilities 76
within its jurisdiction. 77
(c) A public or private school or child care facility may 78
contact local law enforcement agencies to verify that it is 79
included on the list of those that will receive a Ya Ya Alert or 80
to register to be included on the list. A local law enforcement 81
agency must take a private school or child care facility off the 82
list if the school or facility requests that it be taken off the 83
list. 84
(d)1. Upon recording, reporting, transmitting, displaying, 85
or releasing information pertaining to a Ya Ya Alert, the local 86
law enforcement agency with jurisdiction; the Department of Law 87
Enforcement; any state or local law enforcement agency and the 88
personnel of such agency; any radio or television network, 89
broadcaster, or other media representative; any dealer of 90
communications services as those terms are defined in s. 202.11; 91
or any other agency, employee, individual, or entity is immune 92
from civil liability for damages for complying in good faith 93
with this subsection and is presumed to have acted in good faith 94
in recording, reporting, transmitting, displaying, or releasing 95
information pertaining to the Ya Ya Alert. The presumption of 96
good faith is not overcome if a technical or clerical error is 97
made by any agency, employee, individual, or entity acting at 98
the request of the local law enforcement agency having 99
jurisdiction, or if information pertaining to a Ya Ya Alert is 100
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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
incomplete or incorrect because the information received from 101
the local law enforcement agency was incomplete or incorrect. 102
2. This subsection may not be construed to create a duty 103
of the agency, employee, individual, or entity to record, 104
report, transmit, display, or release the Ya Ya Alert 105
information received from the local law enforcement agency 106
having jurisdiction. The decision to record, report, transmit, 107
display, or release information is discretionary with the 108
agency, employee, individual, or entity receiving the 109
information. 110
(3) At the request of a local law enforcement agency, the 111
Department of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with the 112
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the 113
Department of Transportation, must activate the emergency alert 114
system and issue an Imminent Threat Alert to the public when the 115
local law enforcement agency confirms that an imminent threat to 116
the public exists, including, but not limited to, circumstances 117
in which all of the following conditions have been satisfied: 118
(a) A person has been killed or has suffered serious 119
bodily injury, or a person has been assaulted with a deadly 120
weapon by another person. 121
(b) The person suspected of committing the offense has 122
fled the scene of the offense. 123
(c) The law enforcement agency has determined that the 124
suspect poses an imminent threat to the public safety. 125
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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
(4) An Imminent Threat Alert must, to the extent 126
practicable, provide a detailed description of a suspect's 127
vehicle or other means of escape, the license plate number of 128
the suspect's vehicle, or any other available information that 129
may assist in averting further harm or in apprehending the 130
suspect. 131
(5)(a) An Imminent Threat Alert must be immediately 132
disseminated to the public through the emergency alert system 133
and through the use of dynamic message signs located along the 134
State Highway System. 135
(b) If a traffic emergency arises which requires 136
information pertaining to the traffic emergency be displayed on 137
a dynamic message sign on a state highway in lieu of an Imminent 138
Threat Alert, the agency responsible for posting the Imminent 139
Threat Alert on the dynamic message sign does not violate this 140
section. 141
(c)1. Upon receiving a request to record, report, 142
transmit, display, or release Imminent Threat Alert information 143
from the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction, the 144
Department of Law Enforcement; any state or local law 145
enforcement agency and the personnel of such agency; any radio 146
or television network, broadcaster, or other media 147
representative; any dealer of communications services as those 148
terms are defined in s. 202.11; or any agency, employee, 149
individual, or entity is immune from civil liability for damages 150
HB 715 2026
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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
for complying in good faith with this subsection and is presumed 151
to have acted in good faith in recording, reporting, 152
transmitting, displaying, or releasing information pertaining to 153
an Imminent Threat Alert. The presumption of good faith is not 154
overcome if a technical or clerical error is made by any agency, 155
employee, individual, or entity acting at the request of the 156
local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction, or if 157
information pertaining to an Imminent Threat Alert is incomplete 158
or incorrect because the information received from the local law 159
enforcement agency was incomplete or incorrect. 160
2. Neither this subsection nor any other law creates a 161
duty of the agency, employee, individual, or entity to record, 162
report, transmit, display, or release the Imminent Threat Alert 163
information received from the local law enforcement agency 164
having jurisdiction. The decision to record, report, transmit, 165
display, or release information is discretionary with the 166
agency, employee, individual, or entity receiving the 167
information. 168
Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2026. 169