Title: Missing Persons with Special Needs

Summary: Establishing a pilot program in specified counties for the purpose of providing personal assistive technology devices to persons with special needs to aid in certain search and rescue efforts; providing for expiration of the pilot program, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to missing persons with special needs; creating s. 937.041, F.S.; establishing a pilot program in specified counties for the purpose of providing personal assistive technology devices to persons with special needs to aid in certain search and rescue efforts; providing for administration of the pilot program; requiring submittal of certain reports to the Governor and the Legislature by specified dates; providing for expiration of the pilot program; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 937.041, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 937.041   Missing person with special needs pilot program.   (1)   There is created a pilot program in Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, and Suwannee Counties to be known as Project Leo for the purpose of providing personal assistive technology devices to aid search and rescue efforts for persons with special needs in the case of elopement. (2)   Participants for the pilot program shall be selected based on criteria developed by the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University of Florida. Criteria for participation must include, at a minimum, the individual s risk of elopement. The qualifying participants shall be selected on a first-come, first-served basis by the center to the extent of available funding within the center s existing resources. The pilot program shall be voluntary and free to participants. (3)  Under the pilot program,personal devices to aid search and rescue efforts that are attachable to clothing or otherwise worn shall be provided by the center to the sheriff s offices of the participating counties. The devices shall be distributed to participants by the county sheriff s offices in conjunction with the center. The center shall fund any costs associated with monitoring the devices. (4)  The center shall submit a preliminary report by December 1, 2015, and a final report by December 15, 2016, to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives describing the implementation and operation of the pilot program.At a minimum, the report must include the criteria used to select participants, the number of participants, the age of the participants, the nature of the participants  special needs, the number of participants who elope, the amount of time taken to rescue participants following elopement, and the outcome of any rescue attempts. The final report must also provide recommendations for modification or continued implementation of the pilot program.(5)  The pilot program shall operate to the extent of available funding within the center s existing resources. (6)   This section expires June 30, 2017. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.