Governor Rick Scott has signed a bill into law aimed at getting more murder witnesses to come forward.
Rep. Cynthia Stafford (D-Miami)—the bill’s House sponsor—says she’s proud to have a new law on the books that keeps a murder witness’s personal information confidential two years after the homicide. She says too often, cases go unsolved because witnesses are too scared to come forward. Sen. Randolph Bracy (D-Orlando)—the bill's Senate sponsor—agrees.
“There have been numerous murders in communities where detectives have no leads,” he said. “Someone knows what happened, but they’re afraid to come forward out of fear of retaliation. This provides a way to help law enforcement solve murders in communities across the state.”
Still, some continue to raise constitutional concerns and have called the public records exemption unnecessary. It’s slated to take effect July 1st.
