The House of Representatives passes the “Cassie Carli Act” to protect vulnerable parents during custody exchanges

Every county in Florida could soon be required to provide a place where parents can safely exchange custody of their children, thanks to legislation now headed to the Senate after the House approved it with unanimous consent .

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 provides 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 parking lot must be well lit and accessible at all times, marked with a purple light or sign identifying the area as a “neutral safe exchange location,” and have video surveillance. Each sheriff would be required to host at least one exchange per county, although the measure does not impose a cap on the number.

HB 385 is named after a 37-year-old woman from Navarre Cassie Carliwho disappeared in a restaurant parking lot near her home in late March 2022 after a planned custody exchange for her daughter.

Carli agreed to a short-term relocation requested by her father, even though she had expressed fears to her friends that he wanted to hurt her. Six weeks later, police discovered her body in a shallow grave in Alabama and soon arrested her father is facing charges in connection with her death.

Republican representative of Navarre. Joel Rudmanwho supports the bill, said enforcing domestic violence laws in custody exchanges was completely out of the question for him when he ran for office in 2022 on an “anti-mask, anti-mandate platform.”

This is Navarre Rep. Joel Rudman's second attempt to pass the “Cassie Carli Law.” Image via Florida House.

Then he met Stacy Cole, a former Alabama police officer and friend of Carli's, who gave him a “list of items” that she believed might have prevented her death. Rudman wrote Cole's suggestions on a napkin at the donut shop where they met, and those ideas became the “Cassie-Carli Law.”

“Everything in the bill that you've become familiar with, from the purple light to the use of the sheriff's station… parking lots to the video surveillance system – all of these ideas came from a young woman named Stacy, who loved Cassie Carli very much. ” he said.

Rudman, wearing a purple rose on his lapel, then spoke directly to Cole, who watched Thursday's proceedings from the chamber's West Gallery.

“I hope the importance of this conversation here today is not lost on you because this bill is your bill,” he said. “I was just the right vessel for you.”

Rudman submitted similar legislation last year with the support of the Senate Democratic leader Lauren book. By a vote of 108 to 0, it cleared the House of Representatives before failing in the upper house.

He has made some changes compared to this year's version. Give each county sheriff the authority to determine the location of the exchange site. In another case, a checkbox must be added to domestic violence protection forms to allow parents to request the use of a safe exchange location at a sheriff's office.

Those minor changes, he said, improved the bill and its chances of success this time. The co-main sponsorship of Hollywood Democratic Rep also contributes to this. Hillary Cassela first-year colleague who successfully implemented a corresponding measure last year called “Greyson's Law” Adding protections for children at risk of harm to their parents.

“Rep. Rudman came to me and said, “Can you please help me with (the 'Cassie Carli Law')? It was truly an honor and a privilege,” she said. “His dedication, his commitment to making sure this bill gets over the finish line in just its second year is just a testament to him and his character and his commitment to his community and especially to Cassie's family.”

Sarah KayChairman of the Florida Bar's Family Law Section, which assisted Rudman and Cassel in drafting the bill, called it “common sense legislation that will protect children and families.”

“HB 385 is a common-sense policy that can potentially save lives by simply strengthening the law that gives courts the discretion to decide whether imminent risk of harm makes it necessary to place a child in a neutral, safe exchange location “Exchange as set out in a local sheriff,” she said. “The Florida Bar’s Family Law Section was honored to work with Representatives Rudman and Cassel in drafting this legislation, and we look forward to seeing it finalized and signed into law in the Florida Senate.”

Republican Senator from Jacksonville. Clay Yarborough takes into account an identical companion (SB 580), which received unanimous approval in its first of two committee stops.

If passed, the “Cassie Carli Act” would go into effect on July 1.

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Editor's note: This report has been updated to include a statement from the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar.

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