The Attorney General is the statewide elected official directed by the Florida Constitution to serve as the chief legal officer for the State of Florida. The Attorney General is responsible for protecting Florida consumers from various types of fraud and enforcing the state’s antitrust laws.
In 2017, the legislature again amended our Stand Your Ground statute, this time, they further restricted the locations specified in the stand your ground statute to include only dwellings and residences, remove vehicles from the listed places. The current stand your ground law can be found in the 2017 version of Florida Statutes 776.013. It states:
When standing your ground and using deadly force, ANY unlawful activity can be used to argue that you did not have the right to stand your ground and instead were required to attempt to retreat prior to using deadly force.
The stand your ground law is a statutory defense categorized under Florida’s justifiable uses of force (“self-defense”). The statute states that a person in his or her dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle has the right to stand his or her ground and use or threaten to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes such force is necessary ...
A duty to retreat generally refers to the thought that a person who has an opportunity to escape potential harm should take that opportunity. However, under Florida’s stand your ground statute, there is no duty to retreat. Thus, even if a person who eventually used deadly force had the opportunity to escape the situation before using deadly force, ...
A dwelling or residence is a home, building, or other structure (including a tent) that is designed for people to stay overnight. The definition of dwelling or residence also extends to a porch or other structure attached to a building or house. To claim the stand your ground defense, a person must have lawful access to the dwelling or residence.
There is a presumption that a person intended death or great bodily harm when the one harmed by deadly force was attempting to unlawfully or forcibly enter a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle or was in the process or removing another against that person’s will from a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle.
Deadly force is force that is capable of taking someone’s life. As the statute allows the use of deadly force in self-defense, stand your ground is often used as a defense in homicide cases.
Examples include a burglar breaking into your home or a kidnapper attempting to kidnap someone in the home or car.
In 2005, the Stand Your Ground law was passed by the Florida Legislature. Prior to that change, a person could only use non-deadly force to defend against the imminent use of unlawful non-deadly force. He also had no duty to retreat if using non-deadly force.
There are some exceptions to the law, though, which can prevent a person from invoking the Stand Your Ground immunity. In order to be justified in using deadly force, the person cannot be engaged in any criminal activity and must be in a place where s/he has a right to be.
In the criminal context, prior to 2017, a defendant would have to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that she or he was justified in using force in self-defense.
Florida’s stand your ground defense has been thrust into public attention since the controversial shooting that took place in Clearwater this past summer. Michael Drejka currently awaits trial for manslaughter after shooting Markels McGlockton in front of his girlfriend and children.
The Florida Legislature enacted the so-called “Stand Your Ground” law in 2005. The law, which is contained within Florida Statutes Sections 776.012 and 776.013, expands upon Florida’s traditional self-defense laws. Under current law, deadly force is justified, and the defendant will have no duty to retreat, if:
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law provides that you have the right to live peacefully and safely in your own home. You also have the right to defend yourself, your family, and your property when someone enters your home without permission. The law also allows you to use deadly force when necessary. . Taking someone’s life is a very serious matter ...
An Immediate Threat. Under the Stand Your Ground law, you may only use deadly force if you feel your life is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, or if the life of a loved one is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. Imminent danger does not only include death under the law, but danger of injury, as well.
Duty to Retreat. Some states require homeowners to attempt to retreat before using force on an intruder. That is, they must first attempt to escape and only use force when that is not possible. There is no such requirement under Florida’s law, which is why it is called the Stand Your Ground law.
Some states require homeowners to attempt to retreat before using force on an intruder. That is, they must first attempt to escape and only use force when that is not possible. There is no such requirement under Florida’s law, which is why it is called the Stand Your Ground law.
In early April 2020, the Fifth District Court of Appeals dismissed charges against a Port St. John man, John DeRossett, ruling that Mr. DeRossett did not commit a crime under Florida’s Stand your Ground Law. DeRossett was accused of shooting a deputy while three were on his property conducting a sting operation directed at his niece, whom they believed has been performing actions of prosecution. DeRossett’s nieceyelled for help, and DeRossett, not knowing who the men were, shot one of them. Deputy Casey Smith was shot in the lower abdomen, but has since recovered from his injuries.
Under the Stand Your Ground law, you may only use deadly force if you feel your life is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, or if the life of a loved one is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.
Under the Stand Your Ground law, you may only use deadly force if you feel your life is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, or if the life of a loved one is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. Imminent danger does not only include death under the law, but danger of injury, as well. ...
The Attorney General is responsible for protecting Florida consumers from various types of fraud and enforcing the state’s antitrust laws.
The Attorney General defends the constitutionality of statutes duly enacted by the Legislature and is authorized to issue formal legal opinions at the request of various public officials on questions relating to the application of state law. The Office of the Attorney General houses the Florida Commission on the Status of Women and ...
Attorney General Ashley Moody released the 2021 Hurricane Preparedness Guide. She urges Floridians to review the preparedness guide now and understand that planning will be different this year as Floridians continue to take measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Attorney General Ashley Moody launched a new website seeking to educate Floridians about the dangers of misusing prescription painkillers and other opioids such as heroin and fentanyl.