JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tragically, even when victims of domestic violence get a restraining order against their abuser, the induction oftentimes does little to protect them, but Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to strengthen protections for victims.
Action News Jax told you about a murder suicide that claimed the life of Rachel Kerr on Thursday.
Kerr was killed by her estranged husband, who had repeatedly violated a restraining order.
Tami Albrecht reached out to Action News Jax after seeing our coverage of Kerr’s killing to share her own experiences with domestic abuse and stalking.
It all started just days after moving in with her former fiancé.
“By day five, I ended up fleeing with nothing but the clothes on my back because there was an incident where he had me against the wall and ended up, basically, I guess it’s called strangulation,” said Albrecht.
Since then, Albrecht got at least two protective orders against her former fiancé, but she claimed those orders only escalated his stalking behaviors.
Despite documenting him violating the orders on multiple occasions, she claimed local law enforcement was little help.
“I had pictures of him as I’m driving down my street, him sitting there in his car, and I called the police immediately, and they had a witness that said year I saw him, he was there,” said Albrecht. ”And they still said, you know, take it to the judge.”
For many domestic violence victims, trying to fight back or escape abuse turns deadly.
FDLE stats show that of the 497 domestic violence victims killed in Florida between 2022 and 2024, 75 percent died after trying to leave their abuser.
“Leaving is the most dangerous time for a victim,” said State Representative Debra Tendrich (D-Lake Clark Shores).
This year, Representative Tendrich has teamed up with Republican State Representative Danny Nix (R-Port Charlotte) to try and beef up protections for domestic violence victims.
Their bill allows, or in some cases even requires, judges to order ankle monitoring for offenders when they’re subjected to a restraining order.
Tendrich explained it would allow law enforcement to see in real time whether offenders are in violation.
“A lot of times, victims will call law enforcement and say he drove by my house, but there’s no proof. And so this would actually allow the proof within the GPS monitor to add additional accountability to those actions, as well as to add a layer of protection for the victims,” said Tendrich.
The bill would also create escalating penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders.
Penalty levels would increase by one tier for each new offense, maxing out at a capital felony, which carries a life sentence.
“We needed teeth to be put into this to where we can do our best to limit, moderate, and shrink what we’ve got going on in this space,” said Representative Nix.
Albrecht said she believes the changes would make a huge difference for victims like herself, not only giving victims peace of mind, but also acting as a deterrent for abusers.
“And it’s not going to be up to the woman to have to prove that she’s being stalked, that he’s violating the injunction,” said Albrecht.
The bill cleared its first committee stop in the House on Wednesday.
It has three more committee stops in that chamber and two more in the Senate before making it to the chamber floors.
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