§ 836.12, Fla. Stat. · Chapter 836. DEFAMATION; LIBEL; THREATENING LETTERS AND SIMILAR OFFENSES
Threats or harassment.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Administrative assistant” means a court employee assigned to the office of a specific general or special magistrate or a child support enforcement hearing officer.
(b) “Family member” means:
1. An individual related to another individual by blood or marriage; or
2. An individual who stands in loco parentis to another individual.
(c) “Judicial assistant” means a court employee assigned to the office of a specific judge or justice responsible for providing administrative, secretarial, and clerical support to the assigned judge or justice.
(d) “Law enforcement officer” means:
1. A law enforcement officer as defined in s. 943.10; or
2. A federal law enforcement officer as defined in s. 901.1505.
(2)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), any person who knowingly and willfully threatens a law enforcement officer, a state attorney, an assistant state attorney, a firefighter, a judge, a justice, a general magistrate, a special magistrate, a child support enforcement hearing officer, an administrative assistant, a judicial assistant, a clerk of the court, clerk personnel, or an elected official, or a family member of any such person, with death or serious bodily harm commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(b) A person who commits a second or subsequent violation of paragraph (a) commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(3) Any person who knowingly and willfully harasses a law enforcement officer, a state attorney, an assistant state attorney, a firefighter, a judge, a justice, a general magistrate, a special magistrate, a child support enforcement hearing officer, an administrative assistant, a judicial assistant, a clerk of the court, clerk personnel, or an elected official, with the intent to intimidate or coerce such a person to perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 3, ch. 2016-156; s. 1, ch. 2023-194; s. 1, ch. 2025-126.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0836/0836.html
- Text hash
- sha256 2a368e42d23d665d4b3b61ded3903a61ca185ea14f71d1bb737b229522b232be
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Florida Statutes
- § 775.082, Fla. Stat.Penalties; applicability of sentencing structures; mandatory minimum sentences for certain reoffenders previously released from prison.Printed as s. 775.082
- § 775.083, Fla. Stat.Fines.Printed as s. 775.083
- § 775.084, Fla. Stat.Violent career criminals; habitual felony offenders and habitual violent felony offenders; three-time violent felony offenders; definitions; procedure; enhanced penalties or mandatory minimum prison terms.Printed as s. 775.084
- § 901.1505, Fla. Stat.Federal law enforcement officers; powers.Printed as s. 901.1505
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.