Gordie’s Midday Gossip - Florida’s Halo Law

Florida’s new Halo Law, the controversial statute intended to protect law enforcement from harassment, went into effect at the start of this year. At least eleven people so far have been arrested on charges of violating the new law, which bans people from being within 25 feet of a police officer, firefighter or paramedic at the scene of an incident. Those accused can face a misdemeanor charge if they stay after a verbal warning to get back. It outlaws’ behavior described as “conduct directed at a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder. Back when lawmakers were debating the bill’s passage, a democratic lawmaker used the George Floyd incident as an example and asked the bill’s sponsor, a republican whether a bystander recording a scene after being told to stop could be arrested. He acknowledged that a first responder’s emotional distress level – the threshold for an arrest could be subjective. “They are certainly trying to perform their duties and save a life, as well as stabilize a situation. “Anything that certainly impedes upon that is harassment.”