Constituent Action Center

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Subject: Please Support Amending F.S. 316.6135 to Protect Florida Children

Dear Representative,

As a constituent in your district, I am writing to urge you to modernize Florida Statute 316.6135 regarding unattended children in motor vehicles.

Currently, Florida law prohibits leaving a child unattended for "a period in excess of 15 minutes." While well-intentioned, this statutory time limit is inconsistent with scientific reality. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) demonstrates that a vehicle’s interior temperature can rise by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, reaching lethal levels before the current legal limit for criminal negligence is met.

This "15-minute gap" creates dangerous ambiguity for well-meaning parents and hesitance for law enforcement officers who need clear authority to intervene immediately.

I respectfully ask that you sponsor or support legislation to:

Remove the arbitrary time limit from F.S. 316.6135.

Establish a standard of "Zero Tolerance" for unsupervised confinement.

Authorize rapid intervention for Good Samaritans and First Responders.

We cannot regulate the Florida sun, but we can regulate how we protect our children from it. Please help close this lethal gap in our safety laws.

Sincerely,

[Your Name] [Your Address/Zip Code]

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