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Florida passes law extending protection to sports officials
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently signed a bill that extends added protection from assaults to more than 10,000 sports officals overseeing all levels of competition within the state.
According to the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), Florida is the 18th state overall and the second state this year to pass legislation protecting sports officials. Illinois also recently instituted a similar law shielding sports officials from assaults.
The new law, which goes into effect October 1, provides enhanced penalties for assault, battery, aggravated assault or aggravated battery against sports officials. Such crimes could now result in fines up to $10,000 and three years in jail.
The bill adds sports officials to an existing provision that protects other public servants such as elected officials, teachers and Department of Children and Family Services employees.
Barry Mano, president of NASO, said that while each of the state laws protecting sports officials is different, defining sports officials as a special class is one of two familiar themes tying all the laws together.
"We're defining them as a special class and with that classification comes additional penalties if you assault these people," he said. "The other theme is to increase the penalties such that a statement is made that if you do this you're going to suffer more severely."
Mano said four or five other states currently are considering legislation protecting sports officials.