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Florida

State Overview - State Summary - State Projects
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State Overview

Domestic Violence Legislation:Yes (741-28)
NIBRS Status:No plans
Law Enforcement DV System:Summary
Service Provider DV System:Summary
Service Provider SA System:Incident-based


State Summary

The state does have domestic violence legislation that includes same-sex relationships if partners are residing in the same household. The definition of domestic violence only includes persons who are currently living together or who lived together in the past unless they share a child. Florida has no plans to switch to an incident-based reporting system; law enforcement agencies currently submit summary data to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. No specialized system exists for reporting domestic or sexual violence incidents outside of the summary system. Crime counts are published in an annual report.

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence collects summary statistics from all 41 certified domestic violence centers, which enter the information directly into a standardized local database. The Coalition does not publish the information. The Florida Council Against Sexual Violence does not collect any information from service providers. The Florida Department of Health's Sexual Violence Prevention Program collects data through the confidential, internet-based Sexual Violence Data Registry. Rape crisis centers, domestic violence centers, and other entities voluntarily enter information on victims and sexual violence services provided to victims, regardless of whether the incident was reported to law enforcement. The data are not available to the public, but are used to make programmatic decisions and produce reports.


State Projects

  • Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA)

    • Since 2002, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and implement the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) program. In 2003, FCADV organized a DELTA Oversight Committee composed of a diverse group of state-level professionals whose responsibilities include offering guidance and support to the State Coordinator and assisting with monitoring local projects. In 2006 the Oversight Committee expanded as its responsibilities evolved to include being responsible for creating a statewide prevention plan. The Committee is now referred to as DELTA State Steering Committee.

  • Disabilities and Accessibility Project

    • The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) provides many resources to certified domestic violence centers for enhancing service provision to survivors living with mental health complexities. These resources include onsite and electronic training and technical assistance as well as educational materials.

  • Economic Justice Initiative

    • The mission of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence's (FCADV) Economic Justice Initiative is to provide training, information and resources to address the economic conditions that create barriers to the long-term independence and safety of survivors and their children. Ultimately, Economic Justice means fairness and equality for survivors to have the ability to make decisions about their lives and intimate relationships without fear of negative financial impact.

  • Governor's Initiative

    • In 2007 FCADV received funding dedicated to initiating statewide prevention initiatives among FCADV's forty-two member programs from Governor Charlie Crist's Office and the Florida Department of Children and Families. FCADV's Primary Prevention Initiatives work toward preventing first time victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence by working with communities to develop activities that promote healthy relationships at all levels of society. Florida's 42 certified domestic violence centers are currently engaged in implementing portions of their primary prevention plans which include the following five items: community partnerships with non-traditional partners, prevention activities with youth, building organizational capacity, evaluation of prevention programming, and sustainability.

  • InVEST Program

    • The Intimate Violence Enhanced Services Team is a unique program designed to provide intensive service management and assistance to individuals identified to be in potentially lethal situations. Intimate Violence Enhanced Service team (InVEST) was implemented in 2006 in the 5 counties with the highest domestic homicide rates by the FDLE. Because high risk victims often do not seek services they do not receive safety planning or danger assessments. InVEST's unique model allows law enforcement and DV centers to work together to identify victims at high risk for homicide and to enhance their possibility of receiving safety from further victimization. Established 11 years ago, Jacksonville InVEST has served as a model to the existing sites: St. Lucie Co., Alachua Co., Orange Co, and Seminole Co. The success of these sites has initiated further support by Attorney General Bill McCollum, and the implementation of 6 new counties: Broward, Hillsborough, Collier, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota.

  • Survivor Listening Project

    • The goal of this project is to ensure that the voices of survivors remain central to, and continue to inform the work of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV). A central theme of this project is the understanding that the insight provided by survivors is crucial to our work and the Battered Women's Movement. With this as our focus, FCADV will continue to provide opportunities for battered/formerly battered women to share their successes, challenges, and lessons learned from their encounters on the road to safety.

  • Welfare Transition Program

    • Provided by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence's (FCADV), the Welfare Transition Program is Florida's plan for providing eligible families with services that will assist them in becoming self-sufficient. Services include:
    • Job Search, Job Preparation, and Job Placement
    • Education and Training
    • Case Management and Counseling
    • Subsidized Child Care
    • Transportation Assistance
    • Relocation Assistance

  • Rural Initiative

    • The mission of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence's (FCADV) Rural Initiative is to provide for the safety of the most isolated and endangered victims of domestic and sexual violence in rural areas within the state of Florida. The Initiative is based on the community organizing model whereby the community and judicial organizing is essential to the long-term success of direct services provided to rural victims.

  • Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team

    • The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has received an award from the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program, administered by the Department of Justice, to partner with the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) to create a statewide domestic violence fatality review team. The two year grant will enable the statewide team to meet four times to:
    • Identify gaps in service delivery to domestic violence victims and identify potential systemic breakdowns
    • Promote training and cross-training to professionals
    • Coordinate the activities of agencies involved and share and exchange information


Available Reports

General Crime


Domestic Violence


Sexual Assault


Violence Against Women


Sample Data Collection Forms

Certified domestic violence centers enter summary information into this local database, which is sent to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence:

The Florida Office of Attorney General collects information from victims filing for compensation using this form:

The Miama-Dade County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team collects information about both the decedent and the perpetrator of domestic violence fatalities using this form:


Available Data

General Crime

Domestic Violence

Sexual Assault


Links to State Agencies and Resources