As Florida lawmakers prepare to begin the 2026 legislative session next month, a comprehensive domestic violence reform bill is gaining momentum from both sides of the aisle, driven by survivors who are working to prevent future tragedies.
WATCH: Mother's personal tragedy has fueled her fight for change
House Bill 277, filed by Democratic Representative Debra Tendrich of Lake Worth and Republican Representative Danny Nix of Charlotte and Sarasota counties, aims to address what Tendrich calls "a lot of gaps in our current Florida Statutes on how we address domestic violence."
The legislation comes after years of advocacy from survivors like Jennie Carter, whose personal tragedy has fueled her fight for change.
A mother's unimaginable loss
Nineteen years ago, Carter's world was shattered when her ex-husband, who had just lost custody of their two children following a divorce and a domestic battery charge, asked to take 10-year-old Nelson and 8-year-old Crystal Christmas shopping.
"Please, let us go. Let us go with him. We'll be right back. And they were, both of them were begging me, begging me," Carter remembers.
Instead of shopping for presents, Carter's ex-husband barricaded himself and the children inside the home a judge had recently ordered him to return to Carter, and set it on fire. Crystal, who investigators said was also stabbed during the fire, died in the home along with her father. Nelson died of smoke inhalation at the hospital.
"You know, I walk around with half of my heart, but [my ex] didn't manage to take my spirit, you know, and he didn't know how strong I was, and he didn't know what position he put me, to make sure that I continue to live for my kids," Carter said.
Comprehensive reform measures
The bill contains multiple measures designed to protect and support domestic violence survivors, including:
- Additional funding for survivors to relocate
- New procedures for law enforcement handling domestic violence cases
- The ability for victims to text 911 for help
- Expanding legal definitions of coercive control
- Adding animal cruelty as a sentencing multiplier
- Diversion resources for alleged abusers
- New domestic violence and strangulation training for first responders
- New requirements for courts to order electronic monitoring for alleged abusers who violate protective orders
Carter personally advocated for the electronic monitoring provision, telling lawmakers her ex-husband frequently violated his protective order.
"He said, ‘I could just come and do whatever, and by the time they the cops come, you know, I won't be here. They won't know it's me,’” Carter recalled him saying.
The most dangerous time
Tendrich emphasized the critical timing of when domestic violence becomes most lethal.
"Most people don't realize that the most dangerous time for someone experiencing domestic violence is at the time when they either seek help through law enforcement or the courts, or they leave. That's when 75% of the homicides related to domestic violence actually occur," Tendrich said.
The representative, who is also a domestic violence survivor, said the bill has been personally challenging to work on.
"This bill has been extremely hard for me, because I can relate to every single person, you know. My situation happened 13 years ago. But that doesn't mean that these things don't come and revisit you when you're going through this every single day," Tendrich said.
Building support
Carter is among several survivors who helped inform the bill's provisions. Her advocacy is driven by a desire to honor her children's memory.
"I cannot just let my kids just be a number and— okay, they passed away. Let me get better,” Carter said. “No, I have to make a difference.”
"I want them to see me from heaven and say, 'That's my mom,' you know, and that I'm doing not only something for them, but I'm doing something for other kids and other people that were in that situation," she said.
The bill has attracted five co-sponsors from both parties and is currently in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee for consideration. An identical bill with bipartisan cosponsors has also been filed in the senate.
Tendrich has received letters of support from the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County, and the Palm Springs Police Department.
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