New legislation, recently passed by both the Florida House and Senate is headed to the governor’s desk for signature. CS/SB 52 provides a needed exception to the current Florida statute 493.6102 which addresses Private Investigation, Private Security, and Repossession Services. Under the existing statute, volunteers providing private security in a church would have to either be unarmed or have a State Security Guard license.
Some are up in arms that we don’t need legislation to carry in church. That isn’t what this is about. It’s specifically adding an exemption to state that if you volunteer for a church security team, you can be armed without requiring a license. The statute does not apply to you. This is a good thing.
Many churches across that state and the nation are employing private security teams to address the increased risk they’re facing from an overly agitated and aggressive population. It’s a shame that we’ve come to this, but it’s refreshing to see our legislators doing the right thing.
16 493.6102 Inapplicability of this chapter.—This chapter
17 shall not apply to:
18 (16) Any person who, on a voluntary basis and without
19 compensation, provides armed security services on the premises
20 of a church, mosque, synagogue, or other place of worship,
21 provided that all of the following conditions are met:
22 (a) Such services are provided subject to an armed security
23 plan approved by the sheriff’s office in that county.
24 (b) The volunteer passes a level 2 background screening
25 pursuant to s. 435.04.
26 (c) The volunteer holds a valid Florida concealed weapon or
27 concealed firearm license under s. 790.06.
28 (d) The security services are provided exclusively on the
29 premises of the church, mosque, synagogue, or other place of
30 worship, including any property owned or leased by the religious
31 institution for worship, education, or religious activities.
32 (e) The volunteer does not receive compensation for the
33 security services. For purposes of this subsection, compensation
34 does not include reimbursement for reasonable expenses actually
35 incurred and related to the cost of the volunteer’s training.
The Senate vote was unanimous with 39 yays while the House voted 111-1. An outstanding and often unheard of bipartisan response.
