---
type: "Bill"
title: "False Reporting"
description: "False Reporting; Provides enhanced criminal penalties for specified violation relating to use of emergency communications services which results in great bodily harm, permanent disfigurement, permanent disability, or death; revises requirements for specified violation relating to continued misuse of emergency communications services; provides that conviction includes determination of guilt regardless of whether adjudication is withheld or plea of nolo contendere is entered; requires courts to order person convicted of violation to pay costs of prosecution & investigation & restitution for certain damages & injuries; requires courts to order person convicted of violation to pay costs of prosecution & investigation & restitution for certain damages & injuries; ranking offenses on offense severity ranking chart of Criminal Punishment Code."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 279"
citation: "Florida HB 279 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["(vetoed)", "railroads and other regulated utilities"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2025-60"
primary_sponsors: ["Partington"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 47
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-01-28"
last_action: "2025-05-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9348f36e-e524-4edc-964f-33bb32e83c8b"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/279/ByCategory"
source_hash: "17045389bf5979de9c4be63e4b2db638fbe7944927e5a1b9cd2afe64f2c6a16d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida HB 279 (2025) — False Reporting

False Reporting; Provides enhanced criminal penalties for specified violation relating to use of emergency communications services which results in great bodily harm, permanent disfigurement, permanent disability, or death; revises requirements for specified violation relating to continued misuse of emergency communications services; provides that conviction includes determination of guilt regardless of whether adjudication is withheld or plea of nolo contendere is entered; requires courts to order person convicted of violation to pay costs of prosecution & investigation & restitution for certain damages & injuries; requires courts to order person convicted of violation to pay costs of prosecution & investigation & restitution for certain damages & injuries; ranking offenses on offense severity ranking chart of Criminal Punishment Code.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2025-60.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **H 279 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/279/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 279 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/279/BillText/c1/PDF)
3. **H 279 c2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/279/BillText/c2/PDF)
4. **H 279 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/279/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **115–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Criminal Justice Subcommittee — primary (organization)
- Judiciary Committee — primary (organization)
- Partington — primary (person)
- Baker — cosponsor (person)
- Gottlieb — cosponsor (person)
- López, J. — cosponsor (person)
- Salzman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-28** Filed `filing`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Judiciary Committee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
- **2025-03-04** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) `filing, reading-1`
- **2025-03-10** Added to Criminal Justice Subcommittee agenda
- **2025-03-12** Favorable with CS by Criminal Justice Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-12** Reported out of Criminal Justice Subcommittee
- **2025-03-13** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2025-03-13** CS Filed `filing`
- **2025-03-13** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) `reading-1`
- **2025-03-14** Referred to Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-14** Referred to Judiciary Committee `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-14** Now in Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee
- **2025-03-17** Added to Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee agenda
- **2025-03-19** Favorable by Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-20** Reported out of Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee
- **2025-03-20** Now in Judiciary Committee
- **2025-04-04** PCS added to Judiciary Committee agenda
- **2025-04-08** Favorable with CS by Judiciary Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-08** Reported out of Judiciary Committee
- **2025-04-08** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2025-04-08** CS Filed `filing`
- **2025-04-08** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2) `reading-1`
- **2025-04-09** Bill referred to House Calendar
- **2025-04-09** Added to Second Reading Calendar
- **2025-04-10** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/16/2025)
- **2025-04-16** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-16** Placed on 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-16** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2025-04-16** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-16** CS passed; YEAS 115, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2025-04-16** In Messages
- **2025-04-16** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-22** Received `enrolled`
- **2025-04-23** Withdrawn from Rules `withdrawal`
- **2025-04-23** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2025-04-23** Substituted for SB 726
- **2025-04-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-23** CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2025-04-23** In Messages
- **2025-04-23** Ordered enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-05-19** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-21** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-22** Chapter No. 2025-60

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9348f36e-e524-4edc-964f-33bb32e83c8b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).