Florida courts can order monitoring in two pilot areas

Courts may order electronic monitoring for some people on probation and must order it when they find clear and convincing evidence that the person threatens the victim. The Pinellas County pilot covers adults on probation for specified misdemeanor domestic violence crimes or violations of domestic, dating, or sexual violence injunctions. The Sixth Judicial Circuit pilot covers adults on probation for specified felony offenses of those kinds. A no-contact order with the victim must be a condition of probation. When deciding whether monitoring is required, the court must consider prior convictions for violating an injunction for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking. Monitoring cannot replace another required probation term. In Pinellas County, the person pays monitoring costs, but the sheriff may reduce or waive them; in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, costs are paid under section 948.09. The pilots cover offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, and run through June 30, 2028. Monitoring orders must end by June 30, 2028.

A domestic violence crime receives a higher penalty level when the person has a prior domestic violence conviction. The penalty rises one level, from a second-degree misdemeanor up to a life felony, for a domestic violence crime committed by someone with a prior conviction for a domestic violence crime. The prior conviction must exist when the later offense is committed. The increase does not apply to felony battery under section 784.03(2). A conviction includes a guilty finding after a plea or trial, even if the court withholds formal adjudication or accepts a no-contest plea.

People seeking a domestic violence protection order provide more information in their petitions, and courts consider listed safety risks when deciding whether someone faces imminent danger. These provisions concern petitions for protection against domestic violence and court decisions about whether a petitioner reasonably fears imminent domestic violence. The listed risks include threats to children or pets, use of weapons, controlling behavior, and prior protection orders, including military orders. Courts must consider all relevant factors and are not limited to the listed examples.

Florida’s statewide verification system covers domestic, dating, sexual, and repeat violence injunctions. An officer must notify the agency that entered a military protective order when there is probable cause to believe the person violated both that order and a covered injunction. The statewide system shares information about the listed injunctions among criminal justice agencies. The notification rule applies to an officer investigating an injunction violation who also has probable cause to believe a military protective order was violated. The notification rule applies when the military protective order is in the National Crime Information Center database, and the officer has probable cause to believe it was violated along with a covered injunction.

The Department of Legal Affairs may award a victim up to $2,500 for one claim, with a lifetime limit of $5,000, for immediate relocation help. The assistance is for a victim of domestic violence who needs immediate help to escape a domestic violence environment. The victim must need immediate help to escape a domestic violence environment. The department may make the award despite the usual criteria for crime victim compensation awards.