Florida House Unanimously Passes HAVEN Act to Shield Treasure Coast Abuse Survivors

The Florida House passed legislation March 10 that would strengthen protections for domestic and dating violence survivors statewide, advancing the Helping Abuse Victims Escape Now Act — known as the HAVEN Act — with a unanimous vote.

The bipartisan companion bills, SB 296 and HB 269, would deliver two major changes for Treasure Coast residents and Floridians broadly. First, the legislation would expand the state's existing Address Confidentiality Program — currently limited to domestic violence survivors — to cover victims of dating violence as well. This would allow them to shield their home addresses from abusers through an application process administered by the Florida Attorney General. Second, the bill would require telecommunications and public safety stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study for a centralized emergency website integrated with real-time law enforcement response, including a discreet alert code that transmits a survivor's location and triggers immediate dispatch without requiring a visible phone call.

Domestic violence-related homicides in Florida hovered around 220 per year in 2021, accounting for roughly 20 percent of all homicides statewide. More than 100,000 people were victimized in domestic violence incidents that year, according to Florida Department of Children and Families annual reports.

Advocates who work directly with survivors say the gap between existing systems and victims' real-world needs is dangerous. Research shows survivors face heightened risk during periods of separation or crisis — the very moments when fragmented or slow emergency systems can prove fatal.

The Florida Senate companion bill, SB 296, remains pending. If the full Legislature passes the measure and it is signed into law, Florida would join states with modernized survivor-protection infrastructure designed to move as quickly as the threats victims are fleeing.

Residents across Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties who are affected by domestic or dating violence can contact local certified domestic violence centers for immediate assistance. The Senate must still take up SB 296 before the bill can advance to the Governor's desk.

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