Child Protection Law - Florida - Effective July 1, 2006
Governor signs Child Protection Bill Monday, June 26, 2006 Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed the child protection bill into law Monday afternoon. Up until now, it was not illegal to lure a child into a car or home unless the person trying to entice the child was already a convicted sex offender. "It's quite frustrating," said Cpl. Mark Delage of the Tampa Police Department. "And not just for us, but for the children, the parents and the entire community. And there's got to be something that we can do about this." The law came into existence partially because of the work of the Tampa Police Department and an 11-year-old Tampa girl, Sonia Acezedo Last year, a man tried to lure Acezedo into his car by offering her a handful of money while she was riding her bike. "I was scared," Acezedo, said. "And then he followed me for a little bit. But when I went home I told my parents." Even though police developed a suspect in the case, they were powerless to arrest him. Acezedo's parents and the police got together and began working on a way to close the loophole in the law. Their efforts paid off Monday as Bush signed the bill into law that makes it illegal for anyone to lure a child 12 years old or younger. The law also says an officer does not have to witness the crime to make an arrest. All he needs is probable cause. "We're very excited about this new law," Delage said. "This new tool that we get to use. Hopefully, it's going to help us keep our children safe." The Child Protection Law goes into effect July 1. http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/6/26/165822.html