Republican representative of Navarre. Joel Rudman has reintroduced legislation to better protect parents during custody exchanges, less than a year after a similar measure narrowly failed to pass.
The bill (HB 385) would require that all court-approved shared parental custody plans, unless both parents have agreed otherwise, must include a list of “designated authorized places” for the release of their children.
In cases where a parent presents “expert, substantial evidence” that he or his child is at risk of harm, a court may require the parent to conduct the exchange in the parking lot of the county sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s designated parking area must be well lit, under video surveillance, and marked with a purple light or sign identifying the area as a “neutral safe exchange location.” It must be accessible at all times.
Rudman’s bill is called the “Cassie-Carli Act.” It is named after a 37-year-old woman from Navarre Cassie Carli who disappeared in a restaurant parking lot near her home on March 27, 2022, after a planned custody exchange for her preschool-aged daughter.
she was found dead six days later in a shallow grave in Alabama. An autopsy determined her cause of death.indefinite.”
Police quickly arrested her ex-boyfriend and the child’s father. Marcus Spaneveloin Tennessee for tampering with and destroying evidence and providing false information in a missing persons investigation.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson pointed to the evidence in question that Spanevelo threw out the window of his truck before police caught up with him, which referred to Carli’s cell phone.
Spanevelo told investigators he had an “altercation” with someone, presumably Carli, on March 27. He said the person eventually “jumped” out of his vehicle before driving away. But surveillance footage obtained by investigators contradicted that claim, showing only him in the front of his truck and no one in the passenger seat, including when he stopped to purchase a paid cell phone.
Family members said Fox News Digital that before her death, Carli had considered purchasing a gun and obtaining a concealed carry permit to defend herself against Spanevelo. Just days earlier, a court had ordered him to pay nearly $6,000 in past-due child support.
A trial date has been set for January 24th. Spanevelo’s lawyers should do this submit a plea on his behalf on January 10th.
Rudman sponsored a similar measure during the 2023 Legislative Session. Democratic Leader in the Senate Lauren book wore his analogue.
The bill was approved by the House of Representatives in April with unanimous consent before failing without a vote in the Senate.
Rudman told this Pensacola News Journal The measure “must have hit some hurdles” and he and his legislative staff will “investigate and see what happened.”
“It’s definitely a bill that needs to be passed.”
He added that he hoped the bill would have similar success as another measure (SB 130), called “Greyson’s Law,” after a Broward County 4-year-old who was killed by his father in a murder-suicide in 2021. The measure, which allows courts to take threats against ex-partners or spouses into account when determining access and custody arrangements for children, failed in its first attempt. But his second incarnation passed with unanimous, bipartisan support in April and received Governor. Ron DeSantis’ Signature in May.
Notable is Greyson’s Law’s House sponsor, Democratic Rep. Dania Beach. Hillary Casselis co-sponsoring HB 385 for the upcoming session.
The measure, which would take effect July 1, also does not include consideration for Miami-Dade County, which will not have an elected sheriff until 2025.
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