Back to Florida

SB1390 • 2026

Surrendering to Law Enforcement

Surrendering to Law Enforcement

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Bernard
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
Senate - Died in Criminal Justice
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on the exact conditions under which someone may be temporarily detained, arrested, or taken for a mental health check. These specifics are left to local law enforcement discretion.

Surrendering to Law Enforcement

This law sets rules for how police should handle people who come in to turn themselves in without a warrant.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates new rules about what happens when someone comes into a police station to surrender without an arrest warrant.
  • Requires police stations to have a plan for talking to people who want to turn themselves in.
  • Allows police officers to temporarily hold or arrest these people if certain conditions are met.
  • Mandates that police take people to a special place for mental health checks if they seem like they need it.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who come into police stations without an arrest warrant to turn themselves in.
  • Police officers and departments across Florida.

Terms To Know

Surrendering person
Someone who comes to a police station to turn themselves in for breaking the law, but does not have an arrest warrant.
Involuntary examination
A mental health check that someone might be forced to take if they seem like they need help.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies when there is no arrest warrant for the person who wants to surrender.
  • It does not specify what happens after a police interview or how long people can be held.
  • Details about specific procedures are left up to each police department.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-13 Senate

    • Died in Criminal Justice

  2. 2026-01-22 Senate

    • Introduced

  3. 2026-01-16 Senate

    • Referred to Criminal Justice; Judiciary; Rules

  4. 2026-01-07 Senate

    • Filed

Official Summary Text

Surrendering to Law Enforcement; Citing this act as “Vassallo’s Law”; requiring law enforcement agencies to implement a procedure for interviewing a surrendering person; authorizing a law enforcement officer interviewing a surrendering person to temporarily detain or arrest such person under certain circumstances; requiring a law enforcement officer interviewing a surrendering person to deliver, or have delivered, such person to the nearest receiving facility for involuntary examination under certain circumstances, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1390

By
Senator Bernard

24-01109A-26 20261390__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to surrendering to law enforcement;
3 providing a short title; creating s. 901.155, F.S.;
4 defining terms; requiring law enforcement agencies to
5 implement a procedure for interviewing a surrendering
6 person; requiring that such procedure include
7 specified actions; authorizing a law enforcement
8 officer interviewing a surrendering person to
9 temporarily detain or arrest such person under certain
10 circumstances; requiring a law enforcement officer
11 interviewing a surrendering person to deliver, or have
12 delivered, such person to the nearest receiving
13 facility for involuntary examination under certain
14 circumstances; requiring the law enforcement officer
15 to execute a written report detailing such
16 circumstances; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1.
This act may be cited as “Vassallo’s Law.”

21 Section 2. Section 901.155, Florida Statutes, is created to
22 read:
23
901.155 Persons who surrender to law enforcement when no

24
warrant has been issued.—

25
(1)

As used in this section, the term:

26
(a)

“Law enforcement officer” has the same meaning as in s.

27
943.10(1).

28
(b)

“Office” means the office of a law enforcement agency

29
which is accessible to the public.

30
(c)

“Surrendering person” means a person who enters an

31
office and attempts to be taken into custody by a law

32
enforcement agency for a violation of criminal law when no

33
warrant for such person’s arrest has been issued.

34
(2)

A law enforcement agency shall implement a procedure

35
for interviewing a surrendering person. Each law enforcement

36
agency may develop its own procedure, which
must
include, but

37
need
not be limited to, all of the following:

38
(a)

The staff member who greets persons who enter the

39
office shall do all of the following:

40
1.

Document identification and contact information for the

41
surrendering person.

42
2.

Notify an onsite law enforcement officer that a

43
surrendering person has come to the office.

44
3.

Determine whether the law enforcement agency has issued

45
an alert to be on the lookout for a person who meets the

46
description of the surrendering person.

47
(b)

Upon notification that a surrendering person has come

48
to the office,
a
law enforcement officer shall immediately

49
respond to the place where the surrendering person is located

50
and shall conduct a voluntary interview of such person.

51
(c)

If, while interviewing the surrendering person, the law

52
enforcement officer determines that such person may have

53
committed a criminal offense in another jurisdiction, the law

54
enforcement officer
must
determine whether the law enforcement

55
agency in the other jurisdiction has issued an alert to be on

56
the lookout for a person who meets the description of the

57
surrendering person.

58
(3)

A law enforcement officer who interviews a surrendering

59
person under this section may:

60
(a)

Temporarily detain or arrest such person if the

61
requirements of s. 901.151 are met.

62
(b)

Arrest such person without a warrant if any of the

63
circumstances in s. 901.15 arise.

64
(4)

If a law enforcement officer who interviews a

65
surrendering person under this section determines that such

66
person appears to meet the criteria for involuntary examination

67
pursuant to s. 394.463, he or she
must
deliver the person or

68
have him or her delivered to the nearest receiving facility for

69
examination and
must
execute a written report detailing the

70
circumstances under which the person was taken into custody.

71 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.