By NewsLine Staff
mail@floridanewsline.com
St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar awarded Florida Representative Cyndi Stevenson (District 17) with the Florida Sheriff’s Association Legislative Champion Award on Friday, June 10. Stevenson has been a supporter of law enforcement and the sheriffs of Florida.This year, she worked with the Florida Sheriff’s Association on HB 969, relating to orders of no contact. That bill was a response to legislation that passed in 2015 (SB342) that made a “no contact” order issued by a judge “immediately enforceable” as opposed to taking effect at a later time.
When SB 342 passed, it was thought that this change only applied in domestic violence situations; however, it created a situation where an order of “no contact” appeared to apply to every defendant in every case where there was a victim, arguably even to a corporate “victim.”
HB 969 fixed this inadvertent glitch by specifying that changes made in 2015 to the definitions of a no contact order only exist if a no contact order is entered by a judge. This will ensure protection for victims of domestic violence by making a no contact order immediate, but still allow for flexibility for other crimes.
Photo courtesy St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
Rep. Cyndi Stevenson receives the Legislative Champion Award by the Florida Sheriff’s Association from St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar.
