Under the provisions of section 741.28 of the Florida State Statutes,
- “Domestic violence” means any assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of one family or household member by another family or household member.
- “Family or household member” means spouses, former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who are presently residing together as if a family or who have resided together in the past as if a family, and persons who are parents of a child in common regardless of whether they have been married. With the exception of persons who have a child in common, the family or household members must be currently residing or have in the past resided together in the same single dwelling unit.
Under the provisions of section 784.046 of the Florida State Statutes,
- “Dating violence” means violence between individuals who have or have had a continuing and significant relationship of a romantic or intimate nature. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the consideration of the following factors:
- A dating relationship must have existed within the past 6 months;
- The nature of the relationship must have been characterized by the expectation of affection or sexual involvement between the parties; and
- The frequency and type of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship must have included that the persons have been involved over time and on a continuous basis during the course of the relationship.
- “Repeat violence” means two incidents of violence or stalking committed by the respondent, one of which must have been within 6 months of the filing of the petition, which are directed against the petitioner or the petitioner’s immediate family member.
What does the law mean and how can it help you?
If you are a victim of any domestic abuse, call your local law enforcement agency to report the incident. You may also contact the Florida Domestic Violence hotline at 800-500-1119 or the Florida Abuse hotline at 800-962-2873.
You have the right to contact the State Attorney’s Office and request a criminal complaint be filed. You have the right to go to the courthouse and file a petition requesting an injunction for protection against domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence or stalking. A parent of a minor child can file for an injunction if their child is a victim of violence or is in imminent danger of becoming a victim.
An injunction can protect the victim of abuse from any contact from the alleged abuser whether by phone, or in person typically within 500 feet of your residence, school, business, or place of employment.
The men and women of the Lady Lake Police Department are here to help. If you are victim of domestic abuse, contact law enforcement immediately.
