Florida’s 2026 Domestic Violence Law: What Chapter 2026-86 Changed

What changed

Chapter 2026-86, Laws of Florida (Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for House Bill 277) made these changes to chapter 741 and related sections:

• It created section 741.2801, Florida Statutes, on enhanced penalties.
• It amended section 741.31, Florida Statutes, on violating an injunction.
• It created sections 741.2905 and 741.2906, which set up two electronic monitoring pilot programs.
• It added a definition of “military protective order” to section 741.28 and added such orders to the matters a judge may consider on a petition for an injunction.
• It raised the relocation assistance available to victims of domestic violence under section 960.198.

Effective date

July 1, 2026. The Governor approved the act on May 21, 2026. The pilot programs apply to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026 and end on June 30, 2028.

Who is affected

• A person charged with a crime of domestic violence who has a prior conviction for one.
• A person accused of violating an injunction or foreign protection order against the same victim after an earlier conviction.
• People sentenced to probation with a no-contact order for a domestic violence offense in Pinellas County or elsewhere in the Sixth Judicial Circuit.
• Victims of domestic violence who apply for relocation assistance.

The previous rule

• Prior convictions. Section 741.2801 did not exist. The act created it.
• Injunction violations. Section 741.31(4)(c) made a violation a third-degree felony only for a person with two or more prior convictions for violating an injunction or foreign protection order against the same victim.
• Relocation assistance. Up to $1,500 on one claim, with a lifetime maximum of $3,000.

The new rule

A prior conviction raises the offense level

Under section 741.2801, the penalty for a crime of domestic violence is reclassified if, when the offense was committed, the person had a prior conviction for a crime of domestic violence:

A “conviction” means a finding of guilt after a plea or a trial, even if adjudication was withheld or the plea was no contest. The section does not apply to a conviction for felony battery under section 784.03(2). For scoring a sentence and for gain-time, a reclassified felony is ranked without regard to the enhancement, and a first-degree misdemeanor that becomes a third-degree felony is ranked in level 1.

Repeat injunction violations

Section 741.31(4)(c) now applies to a person who has one or more prior convictions for a crime of domestic violence, or for violating an injunction or foreign protection order, and who then violates an injunction or foreign protection order against the same victim. That violation is a third-degree felony.

Electronic monitoring pilot programs

• Pinellas County (section 741.2905). When an adult is found guilty of, has adjudication withheld on, or pleads no contest to a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or a violation of certain injunctions, and the court enters a no-contact order as a condition of probation, the court may order electronic monitoring. The court must order it if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person poses a threat of violence or physical harm to the victim. The Sheriff manages the monitoring. The person pays the cost, which the Sheriff may reduce or waive.
• Sixth Judicial Circuit (section 741.2906). A similar program applies to felony cases across the circuit and is run through the Department of Corrections.

Both programs run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, and both sections are repealed on July 1, 2028.

Relocation assistance

Section 960.198 now allows a one-time payment of up to $2,500 on one claim, with a lifetime maximum of $5,000.

Related guides

See domestic violence charges in Florida, our summaries of section 741.28 and section 741.283, and battery in Florida.

If you are in danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233.