A bill expanding Florida’s civil citation program is heading to the House floor.
The measure gives law enforcement discretion to issue civil citations to juveniles who admit to a misdemeanor. It used to allow for an unlimited amount, but Rep. Gwyn Clarke-Reed (D-Deerfield Beach) changed the bill to limit the number of citations to three. That was a suggestion by Florida Retail Federation’s Samantha Padgett during earlier committee stops, and she has one more recommendation.
“Department of Juvenile Justice has a system they’re keeping great track of how this civil citation system is applied throughout the state, and if we can get that information to our law enforcement officers in real time on the street, we think we’ll have an even better system that is able to address the needs of juveniles who are committing crimes and having these incidences throughout the state, so they can have the ability to make even better decisions,” said Padgett, during the bill's last hearing Tuesday.
And, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the measure Tuesday—sending it onto the floor. Meanwhile, its Senate companion got teed up Tuesday for a vote on the floor.
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