Sheriff's offices in Central Florida offer safe zones for custody exchanges. Find them here

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida. – As of July 1, nearly 200 new laws have been in effect in Florida, one of which aims to ensure the safety of parents, guardians and children during the transfer of custody.

The Safe Exchange of Minor Children Act specifies which parents must exchange their children at neutral, safe locations when ordered to do so by the court, and requires sheriffs to designate certain areas as neutral locations.

Often referred to as the “Cassie-Carli Law,” it was named after the mother who investigators believe was murdered by her child's father during a custody swap. Carli was last seen in 2022 in a parking lot where she was supposed to pick up her daughter from her ex-boyfriend. Her body was later found in Alabama.

Every sheriff is required by law to designate at least one parking lot or substation as a neutral safe exchange location. The parking lot must have a purple light or sign clearly identifying the safe zone.

The law also requires that the area be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and be under constant video surveillance. The department must retain these video recordings or images for at least 45 days.

“Although the law went into effect on July 1, we have always encouraged people who needed a safe place to exchange children to do so in front of one of our buildings,” said Kim Cannaday of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

The designated “Safe Exchange Zones” are not staffed, but are considered a safe environment due to video surveillance and proximity to law enforcement authorities.

“We recommend calling 911 immediately if any emergency occurs during the drop-off of a child,” Cannady said.

Law enforcement hopes these new spaces will provide peace of mind to parents and guardians.

“This is important to us because we are here to support families and we want to make sure we have a safe place for these most important moments,” Cannaday said.

Below is a list of locations in Central Florida where you can find these safe transition zones:

Marion County

Northern Multi-District

8311 North Highway 44, Ocala

Multi-District South

3260 SE 80th Street, Ocala

Orange County

Orange County Sheriff's Office Headquarters

2500 W. Colonial Drive (near the north entrance), Orlando, 32804

Seminole County

𝗠𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗻

100 Eslinger Way, Sanford, FL 32773

𝗔𝗕𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 (𝗢𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗻 / 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗻 / 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀)

1225 East Broadway, Oviedo, FL 32765

𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 (𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻)

120 West Pineview St. Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

𝗔𝗕𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗕𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 (𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 / 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘆 / 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱)

805 Primera Blvd., Lake Mary, FL 32746

Sumter County

𝗔𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗵 (𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗺𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻)

250 E. McCollum Ave., Bushnell, FL 33513

𝗪𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗻

7361 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785

Volusia County

The Volusia Family Resource Center

3747 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach

District 3-North

1435 US 1, Ormond Beach

District 3-South

124 N. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach

District 4

1691 Providence Blvd., Deltona

District 6

79 S. Charles R. Beall Blvd., DeBary

News 6 is gathering the locations of all Safe Exchange locations in Central Florida. This story will be updated once we have the complete list.

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