New Florida law bans release of mass shooting recordings

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that prohibits Florida’s government agencies from releasing photos, video or audio that record the killing of a person in an act of mass violence.

The new law was signed Thursday and takes effect immediately.

The bill was written after last year’s school shooting in Parkland that left 17 people dead. It says the exemption to the public record law is needed to protect victims’ families from trauma and to prevent the images or recordings from inspiring others to kill.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tom Lee of Hillsborough County, has said he is aware that such recordings can help the media keep authorities accountable after a mass shooting but pointed out that news organizations can petition a judge to access the images.