Required Notice of Intent to Contact a Victim

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify any consequences if the notice is not filed on time.

Notice Before Contacting Victims

This law requires people working for a criminal defendant to file a notice before contacting a victim about an ongoing case.

What This Bill Does

• Requires attorneys, investigators, and other agents representing a criminal defendant to file a notice within 72 hours (3 days) before contacting the victim.
• The notice must be filed on a standard form developed by the state attorney in each judicial circuit.
• Contact during court proceedings or depositions is exempt from this requirement.

Who It Names or Affects

• Victims of crimes
• Attorneys, investigators, and other agents representing criminal defendants

Terms To Know

Criminal defendant

A person who has been charged with a crime.

Notice

An official announcement or warning given to someone about something important.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the notice is not filed on time.
• It only applies to contact outside of court proceedings and depositions.

Official Summary Text

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

Current Bill Text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1490

By
Senator Garcia

36-00785A-26 20261490__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to required notice of intent to
3 contact a victim; creating s. 914.18, F.S.; requiring
4 specified persons acting on behalf of a criminal
5 defendant to file a specified notice within a
6 specified timeframe before contacting a victim in a
7 criminal proceeding for a specified purpose; providing
8 applicability; requiring that such notice be filed on
9 a standard form developed by the state attorney in
10 each judicial circuit; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 914.18, Florida Statutes, is created to
15 read:
16
914.18

Required notice of intent to contact victim.—

17
(1)

Before any attorney, investigator, or other agent

18
acting on behalf of a criminal defendant may contact a victim

19
for the purpose of obtaining information relating to a pending

20
criminal proceeding, he or she must file a notice of intent to

21
contact the victim within 72 hours before making, or attempting

22
to make, such contact. This subsection does not apply to contact

23
with a victim which occurs during a court proceeding or

24
deposition.

25
(2)

The notice required under subsection (1) must be filed

26
on a standard form developed and made available by the state

27
attorney in each judicial circuit.

28 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.