Last year, Florida lawmakers put a new law on the books that expands the requirement for reporting child abuse in the state. But, the measure contained a glitch that resulted in double reports in some cases, and one lawmaker is hoping to fix that.
Republican Senator Rob Bradley has filed a bill to correct a couple of unintended consequences of the law that requires all Floridians to report all known and suspected child abuse cases to the Florida Abuse Hotline. He says since the law took effect last year, it’s increased the number of calls to the center, but law enforcement and the Florida Department of Children and Families have also been taking unnecessary actions.
“For instance, the Sheriff’s office already knew of the incident, yet DCF [Florida Department of Children and Families] was having to report it yet again. And, conversely the Sheriff’s office was requiring to report things to DCF that DCF already knew about,” said Bradley.
Essentially, Bradley’s bill clarifies that DCF does not have to resend reports about child abuse to law enforcement officers that were initiated by law enforcement and vice versa. Bradley filed the bill on behalf of the Florida Sheriff's Association.
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