GOV. DESANTIS SIGNS HAVEN ACT, EXPANDING PROTECTIONS FOR DOMESTIC, DATING VIOLENCE

Starting in July, victims of domestic and dating violence will have new tools to stop their cycles of abuse.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (SB 296) to extend safeguards currently available to domestic violence victims to victims of dating violence and begin the development of a new alert system to notify police of escalating incidents.

The law, dubbed the “Helping Abuse Victims Escape Now” (HAVEN) Act, directs the state to study the feasibility of a discreet, web-based system that could alert police to dangerous abuse situations using a smartphone’s Wi-Fi and GPS.

Under the proposed program, victims would receive an individualized phone number they could call when in fear for their lives, rather than the standard 911 number that can sometimes take longer to process.

The measure, effective July 1, also formally defines “dating violence” in state statute and extends existing domestic violence safeguards — including eligibility for Florida’s Address Confidentiality Program — to dating violence and stalking victims.

SB 296 was authored by Gainesville advocate and domestic violence survivor Amy Trask, a current Democratic candidate for House District 22, who attempted unsuccessfully to advance an earlier version of the bill in 2025.

Trask said the HAVEN Act is rooted in lived experience, including moments when she found no safe way to call for help.

“I wrote the HAVEN Act because I survived the gaps it closes,” she said. “This bill is not about politics. It’s about safety, dignity, and accountability.”

SB 296, which the Legislature passed unanimously this year, enjoyed bipartisan sponsorship, with Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman carrying the measure in the Senate and Republican Reps. Peggy Gossett-Seidman and Rachel Plakon championing its companion bill in the House.

A closely linked companion measure (SB 298) also cleared the Legislature without opposition, but has not yet received the Governor’s signature. It would expand public records exemptions under the Address Confidentiality Program to shield dating violence victims’ names, addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, and voter registration and voting records from public disclosure.

The protections would apply retroactively and remain in place until 2031, unless the Legislature renews them.

“For victims of domestic and dating violence, the most dangerous moment is often when they try to ask for help. In those moments, a phone call may not be possible. Speaking out loud might not be safe. Seconds matter, and silence can be deadly,” Plakon said. “This bill recognizes that reality. It’s careful, responsible and has the potential to save lives.”

Wendy Strickland-Dawson, Executive Director of the AngelWingz Family Crisis & Intervention Center and a Tallahassee Chapter member of Crime Survivors Speak, spoke in support of SB 296 during committee hearings and penned a Florida Politics guest column praising the measure when it passed March 10.

“This legislation reflects bipartisan, survivor-centered thinking,” she wrote. “Communities, law enforcement organizations, and advocacy groups across Florida support it because they recognize what is at stake. The goal is simple and urgent. Save lives, protect families, and ensure that more people get help before it is too late.

The HAVEN Act, which DeSantis signed Friday, represents one of two major domestic violence proposals lawmakers passed this Session. A related measure the Governor (HB 277) will hike penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders, increase Florida’s victim-relocation allowance, allow threats against pets to be included in protective injunctions and create a Pinellas County pilot program for electronic monitoring of certain offenders.

Florida sees nearly 107,000 domestic violence reports annually, according to the Department of Children and Families. The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness, meanwhile, estimates that 75% of domestic violence-related homicides follow separation, meaning victims are most at-risk after they leave their abuser. And according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, over 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the U.S. experience some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.

“We need to make it safer for them,” Berman said ahead of the Senate floor vote on SB 296 and SB 298 in January.

Berman, who in 2023 passed Greyson’s Law to strengthen safeguard for children at risk of parental harm, spoke briefly of how, during her initial work on the legislation, she sought feedback and support from law enforcement. One of the first issues raised was a need for an improved alert system like the one contemplated in this legislation.

“This is a new idea that we are putting together, just like we do with schools, where we have an emergency panic button,” Berman said at the time, adding that Florida would be the “first in the nation” to establish such a system.

SB 296, as originally written, would have immediately created the silent 911-bypass alert system. Berman amended the measure’s language in early December to keep the statutory alignments between domestic violence, dating violence and stalking victims, but instead require a study of the system before implementation.

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Editor’s note: This report was updated to include additional quotes.