TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Beginning Jan. 1, law enforcement agencies in Florida that use disabled persons registries will be required to follow new state guidelines.

House Bill 1275 and House Bill 1277 create requirements on how a person becomes listed on a registry and who has access to the information. 

What You Need To Know

  • The laws will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024

  • Registries are used to alert law enforcement about someone's disability

  • Without information, a person's disability could be misunderstood as being hostile, having criminal intent, or being intoxicated

  • One Lake County special needs mother and advocate hopes the bill will encourage law enforcement to create their own registry programs now that they have standardized rules

Some behaviors associated with disabilities can lead to negative interactions with law enforcement, according to a Senate analysis. If not understood, they may perceive a person with a disability as being hostile, having criminal intent, or being intoxicated.

Kandi Alexander, whose son has autism, hopes he will never have a negative interaction with law enforcement. However, she has concerns that if deputies asked him to relay information, they would misinterpret his demeanor.

“If he was able to respond directly, then that’s a good thing. But it would probably come out very harsh. And you’d have to interpret that he wasn’t being mean, that he was being more factual,” said Alexander.

Because of that, several law enforcement agencies across the state have created their own identification programs to alert officers about someone with a disability.

In Lake County, residents can sign up for Smart911 and a bracelet identification program, so first responders are aware of someone’s disability.

In Seminole County, they have the CARES (County Autism Response & Enhanced Services) program. Residents who have autism, dementia, or cognitive issues can request an identifier bracelet that lists them in a database.

The new laws provide oversight into programs specific to disabled persons’ registries.

Under House Bill 1275, residents wishing to enroll in a registry must have a confirmed diagnosis from a doctor or mental health professional. Legal guardians can also enroll individuals.

From there, law enforcement will collect the person’s name, address, personal identifying information, and disability. For those who are under legal guardianship, documentation of that will also need to be provided.

“As a mother, I have no problem supplying that information. Because I’ve done it his whole life with different doctors, therapy groups,” said Alexander.

If an individual wants to be removed from their agency’s database, the agency must do so within 5 days of written or verbal notification.

In a complementary law, House Bill 1277, state leaders have put restrictions on who can access this information. While it will be available to first responders, the information will be exempt from public records requests.

Now that there is a clear set of guidelines, Alexander hopes more agencies will develop their own programs.