It is my honor to serve as your Sheriff and work hand-in-hand with you to keep Polk County a great and safe place to live, work, raise a family, and visit on vacation.   As with all law enforcement agencies, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has the essential duty to enforce the laws of our state and nation.  While it is our responsibility to enforce the laws, it is the job of our legislators to write them.  Every year, hundreds of new laws are proposed in the State of Florida.  However, not all of them are in the best interest of public safety.

Polk County citizens consistently have made it abundantly clear in citizen opinion surveys, conducted by Dr. Susan McManus with the University of South Florida, that public safety services are “absolutely critical services.”  Many of the legislative proposals are good laws designed to better protect the public – and these deserve our support.  However, there are proposed laws that would be detrimental to the safety and protection of our citizens and to those who visit our county.

Below are the legislative issues on which the Polk County Sheriff’s Office took a stance and followed throughout the legislative session.  We thank you for your help as we supported and opposed issues.  I encourage you to continue to take an active role in the legislative process.
 
Let us continue to work together to keep Polk County safe!

Grady Judd

Sheriff

WE SUPPORT

• Methamphetamine Pharmaceutical Products/Sale SB1050 HB1071 PASSED
• We support this legislation, as it will regulate the quantity sold during a single purchase of certain over-the-counter medications which serve as key ingredients to manufacturing methamphetamine.

• Medical Expenses of Inmates Paid by a County or Municipality HB319 SB218 DID NOT PASS
• We support this legislation, as it will require medical costs of inmates and paid for with taxpayers’ dollars be limited to the state’s Medicaid rate.

• Pretrial Proceedings HB89 SB300 DID NOT PASS
• We support this legislation, as it will give the judges authority to hold an individual who has violated their probation up to 10 days without bail to await the outcome of their violation hearing.

• Adult Protective Services HB91 SB336 PASSED
• We support the Department of Children and Family Services’ legislation to transfer “non-caregiver” calls from the Adult Abuse Hotline to local law enforcement. This legislation will strengthen the protection for vulnerable adults.

• Sexual Offenders & Predators HB119 SB1284 PASSED
• We support this legislation, as it will establish uniform regulations regarding the distance a sexual offender can live from specified locations where children are known to frequent.

• Increased Penalties for Hit & Run HB1029 SB210   DID NOT PASS
• We support this legislation. A special thanks to a contingency of our local legislators who have sponsored or co-sponsored this legislation that would provide for minimum mandatory sentences for individuals who leave the scene of a crash that resulted in injury, serious bodily injury, or death. Senator Paula Dockery, Senator Ronda Storms, and Representative Baxter Troutman deserve the credit for assisting us in our efforts.

• Privacy of Gory Law Enforcement Photos HB649 SB1496 DID NOT PASS
• We support this legislation. In today’s Internet world, where the vilest exploitative images are posted, traded, and distributed, we owe it to the public and to families of victims that we respect their privacy rights and try to keep end-of-life and traumatic images private. We appreciate the efforts of Senator Steve Oelrich and Polk County’s Representative Kelli Stargel in sponsoring this legislation.

• Protection of Law Enforcement Officers from Civil Judgment When no Wrongdoing has Occurred  HB1501  SB2608 DID NOT PASS
• We support this legislation, as it will protect our law enforcement officers from certain civil judgments when they have followed the law and when they violated no policies.  We appreciate the efforts of Senator Dave Aronberg and Polk County’s Representative Seth McKeel in sponsoring this legislation.

• We Support Continued Funding of Juvenile Assessment Centers   FUNDING CONTINUED
• If funding for our Juvenile Assessment Center is eliminated, forcing it to close, the ability of Polk County’s law enforcement to effectively divert juveniles away from crime will be considerably hindered. We must ensure continued funding of resources that are critical for law enforcement to provide vital services to the communities we serve.

WE OPPOSE

• Florida Retirement System Benefit Reduction – NO CHANGES
• We oppose any legislation that would reduce, in any way, the retirement benefits availed to our public servants – those who risk their lives to keep us safe.

• Expunging Criminal History Records HB541 SB1214 DID NOT PASS
• We oppose any legislation that would create an automatic expungement of criminal records.

• Parole for Adolescent Offenders HB23 SB184 DID NOT PASS
• We oppose this legislation, as it would reduce the sentence of potentially dangerous offenders, diminishing the deterrent value of detention and resulting in more juvenile crime.

• Early Release of Inmates 50 Years of Age or Older HB1515 SB484 DID NOT PASS
• We oppose this legislation, as it would grant early release to certain inmates 50 years of age or older. Regardless of age, these inmates are incarcerated to safeguard the public reducing their sentence would do an injustice to the suffering of their victims and make our community less safe. Additionally, inmates who would be released under this bill would only be monitored electronically for one year.

• Restraints / Use During Juvenile Proceedings SB242 DID NOT PASS
• We oppose this legislation, as it would reduce courtroom security throughout the state.

Florida State Senate

Senator J.D. Alexander

District 17

Mailing Address:

412 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

Phone: (863) 679-4847

(850) 487-5044

Email: alexander.jd.web@
flsenate.gov

Senator Paula Dockery

District 15

Mailing Address:

302 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

Phone: (863) 413-2900

(850) 487-5040

Email: dockery.paula.web@
flsenate.gov

Senator Ronda Storms

District 10

Mailing Address:

413 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

Phone: (813) 651-2189

(850) 487-5072

Email: storms.ronda.web@
flsenate.gov

Florida House of Representatives

Representative Mike Horner

District 79

Mailing Address:

300 House Office Building

402 South Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Phone: (407) 943-3077

(850) 488-8992

Email

Representative Seth McKeel

District 63

Mailing Address:

319 The Capitol

402 South Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Phone: (863) 647-4896

(850) 488-9890

Email

Representative Kelli Stargel

District 64

Mailing Address:

405 House Office Building

402 South Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Phone: (863) 614-9156

(850) 488-2270

Email

Representative Baxter Troutman

District 66

Mailing Address:

317 House Office Building

402 South Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Phone: (863) 298-5220

(850) 488-9465

Email

Representative John Wood

District 79

Mailing Address:

210 House Office Building

402 South Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Phone: (863) 419-3470

(850) 488-2721

Email