‘Donna’s Law’ Could Open Door To Prosecution Of Sex Crimes Against Kids

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Michael Moline

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 199, “Donna’s Law,” on Tuesday.

House Democrat Tracie Davis of Jacksonville, one of the measure’s cosponsors, issued a written statement:

“When I think of the many lives that this bill could impact in the future and the message that it will send to people who seek to hurt children in Florida, I cannot help but think of the lives it could have touched, had there been no statute of limitations on the prosecution of sexual battery against minors on the books,” she said.

“Finally, our most vulnerable will have the law on their side.”

The law is named after Donna Hedrick of Orlando, who as an adult accused a teacher of having raped her when she was 15 years old. By the time she made her report, the statute of limitations had expired.

A petition Hedrick circulated seeking repeal of the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors gathered 30,000 signatures. You can read an earlier Florida Phoenix report about the measure here.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.