Gabby Petito Act

The Gabby Petito Act, officially known as SB 1224, is a legislative measure enacted in Florida in 2024 aimed at improving the response to domestic violence incidents. Named in memory of Gabby Petito, a young woman whose highly publicized 2021 death brought attention to the issues of coercive control and femicide, the law mandates the use of a lethality assessment by law enforcement officers during domestic violence investigations. This assessment is a series of structured questions designed to evaluate the risk of severe injury or death faced by the victim.

The act was signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2024 and became effective in August of the same year. It requires law enforcement agencies to implement these assessments and mandates training for officers to ensure the consistent and accurate application of the tool. Additionally, the law stipulates that the results of the lethality assessments must be documented in police reports, and that victims identified as high-risk must be promptly referred to certified domestic violence centers for further support and protection.

The Gabby Petito Act was inspired by the circumstances surrounding Petito’s death, which highlighted the potential gaps in law enforcement’s ability to identify and respond to domestic violence risks. The legislation represents an effort to prevent similar tragedies by providing a systematic approach to identifying and addressing high-risk domestic violence situations, with the ultimate goal of enhancing victim safety and reducing domestic violence fatalities.