State law soon could address how divorced parents hand their children off to each other during split custody scenarios.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has received HB 385, bipartisan legislation introduced by Republican Rep. Joel Rudman and Democratic Rep. Hillary Cassel. The Senate companion bill was introduced by Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough.
The bill honors someone who perished due to a custody exchange gone horribly wrong.
The bill is referred to as the Cassie Carli Law to honor Cassie Carli, a 37-year-old Navarre woman who vanished in March 2022 following the scheduled exchange of her preschool-aged daughter, only to be found in a grave in Alabama weeks later.
The legislation would require court-approved plans for shared custody to include, unless otherwise agreed to by both parents, a list of “designated authorized locations” to exchange custody of their children. Estranged parents can opt out with a written waiver, however, should they be able to work things out more amicably.
In cases where parents provide evidence that they or their child may be at risk of harm, a court may require the parents to exchange in the parking lot of a county Sheriff’s Office.
The parking lot must be accessible at all times, well-lit, have video surveillance and include a purple light or a sign billing it as a “neutral safe exchange location.”
The bill also entitles domestic violence victims to the same protections, mandating a court order to enforce the condition.
The legislation passed the House unanimously, and had just one no vote in the Senate, from Democrat Lori Berman.
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Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
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