FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A sweeping domestic violence bill introduced by a South Florida state representative, who is herself a domestic violence survivor, unanimously passed the Florida House this week.

Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth Beach, escaped an abusive relationship more than a decade ago when she moved to Florida a few days after Mother’s Day, the day she was attacked for the last time. On the House floor Wednesday, Tendrich said her story of survival inspired her bill, HB 277, which not only passed unanimously but was co-sponsored by every member of the House.

The bill would enhance penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders by making any violation of a protective injunction an automatic third-degree felony and create GPS electronic monitoring pilot programs, one in Pinellas County for misdemeanor domestic violence cases and one overseen by the Department of Corrections in the Tampa and St. Petersburg judicial area for felony cases.

Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, spoke in support of the GPS monitoring aspect of the bill on behalf of the family of Andrew Ferrin, who was one of three people killed in a domestic violence shooting last year.

On Feb. 16, 2025, Nathan Gingles first shot and killed his father-in-law David Ponzer, then followed his estranged wife Mary Gingles with a gun as she ran from him down the street in their Tamarac neighborhood, according to a probable cause affidavit. Mary Gingles escaped into her neighbor Ferrin’s home, where Gingles then shot and killed both Mary Gingles and Ferrin, the affidavit said. Nathan Gingles has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mary Gingles had an active restraining order in place at the time and had repeatedly called Broward Sheriff’s deputies to report abusive behavior by Gingles in the months before the shootings. The restraining order required Gingles to surrender his guns, but he never did, and the Sheriff’s Office did not follow up to ensure whether he had, the South Florida Sun Sentinel previously reported.

Bartleman said during debate Wednesday that had Gingles been required to be GPS monitored, “it would have made a difference.”

“Andrew’s uncle George David came to me and said, ‘Why didn’t that animal have a GPS monitoring? Why aren’t we doing something?’ … On behalf of that family, this was something very important to them to change this,” Bartleman said on the House floor during debate.

Bartleman filed HB 729 this session, working with Ferrin’s uncle, that sought to apply the state’s red flag law as an enforcement mechanism to confiscate guns from domestic violence offenders. The bill failed, though Bartleman told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday she will file it again.

Tendrich’s bill would also improve enforcement, accountability and communication pertaining to military protective orders, which are only enforceable on a military base, Tendrich told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday. The bill would allow petitioners seeking an injunction in civilian life to use any military protective orders as evidence and would require civilian law enforcement to communicate any suspected violation to the military agency that issued the order.

Threats of harm against pets and service and emotional support animals would also be added to the current language in protective injunctions. Relocation assistance for domestic violence survivors to escape their abusers would increase from $1,500 to $2,500, with a lifetime maximum increased to $5,000 from $3,000.

The Senate will consider the bill Monday.

House Speaker Daniel Perez allowed for extended time for members to debate, Tendrich said.

Discussion of the bill on Wednesday was emotional for many and personal for several representatives.

Democrat Rep. Felicia Simone Robinson, whose district includes parts of Miramar and Pembroke Pines, shared the story of her 24-year-old cousin, Tynese Sears, who was shot by her estranged husband in 1998 while picking up her children from a weekend visit. Sears was killed while her two children, her father and her sister survived. Her estranged husband shot and killed himself.

“Her kids are living and they’re doing well. They’re adults now. But domestic violence, some people take it lightly or they sometimes, I guess, don’t even believe people that go through it. But it’s real,” Robinson said.

Tendrich told the Sun Sentinel she was moved by the members’ responses and will consider the bill one of the most significant moments in her career in the Legislature. She plans to make domestic violence reform a priority each session.

“A lot of the laws around domestic violence have been built with the abuser in mind. These laws are being built with the victim in mind, and I think we need to relook at all the statutes when it comes to domestic violence and make them victim-focused so they can become a survivor,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, if these bills don’t support the victim in that moment, how are they actually going to become a survivor?”

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