What it means
Knowingly and willfully failing to report a case of known or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, or knowingly and willfully preventing another person from reporting, is a second-degree misdemeanor. So is knowingly and willfully disclosing confidential information from the central abuse hotline or case records except as ss. 415.101-415.113 allow. A person with custody of records whose confidentiality is abrogated under s. 415.1045(3) who refuses access to them commits the same offense.
A person who knowingly and willfully makes a false report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, or advises another person to make one, commits a third-degree felony. If the department determines after investigation that a report is false, it refers the matter, with the alleged perpetrator's consent, to local law enforcement to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to refer the case for prosecution. Anyone making a report in good faith is immune from liability under this subsection.
- Knowingly and willfully failing to report, or preventing another person from reporting, is a second-degree misdemeanor (§ 415.111(1)).
- Knowingly and willfully disclosing confidential hotline or case-record information, except as ss. 415.101-415.113 allow, is a second-degree misdemeanor (§ 415.111(2)).
- A custodian who refuses access to records whose confidentiality is abrogated under s. 415.1045(3) commits a second-degree misdemeanor (§ 415.111(3)).
- If the department finds a report false, it refers the matter to local law enforcement, with the alleged perpetrator's consent (§ 415.111(4)).
- A knowingly and willfully false report, or advising another to make one, is a third-degree felony (§ 415.111(5)).
- Anyone making a report in good faith is immune from liability under subsection (5) (§ 415.111(5)(b)).
Text of the statute (2026)
(1) A person who knowingly and willfully fails to report a case of known or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, or who knowingly and willfully prevents another person from doing so, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (2) A person who knowingly and willfully makes public or discloses any confidential information contained in the central abuse hotline, or in other computer systems, or in the records of any case of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, except as provided in ss. 415.101-415.113, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (3) A person who has custody of records and documents the confidentiality of which is abrogated under s. 415.1045(3) and who refuses to grant access to such records commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(4) If the department or its authorized agent has determined after its investigation that a report is false, the department shall, with the consent of the alleged perpetrator, refer the reports to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction for an investigation to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to refer the case for prosecution for filing a false report as defined in s. 415.102. During the pendency of the investigation by the local law enforcement agency, the department must notify the local law enforcement agency of, and the local law enforcement agency must respond to, all subsequent reports concerning the same vulnerable adult in accordance with s. 415.104 or s. 415.1045. If the law enforcement agency believes that there are indicators of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, it must immediately notify the department, which must assure the safety of the vulnerable adult. If the law enforcement agency finds sufficient evidence for prosecution for filing a false report, it must refer the case to the appropriate state attorney for prosecution.
(5) A person who knowingly and willfully makes a false report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, or a person who advises another to make a false report, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (a) The department shall establish procedures for determining whether a false report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult has been made and for submitting all identifying information relating to such a false report to the local law enforcement agency as provided in this subsection and shall report annually to the Legislature the number of reports referred. (b) Anyone making a report who is acting in good faith is immune from any liability under this subsection.
Excerpts are the subsections the summary relies on. Read the full official text of § 415.111.
History. ss. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, ch. 73-176; s. 1, ch. 77-174; ss. 3, 5, ch. 79-287; s. 15, ch. 79-298; s. 1, ch. 80-293; s. 1, ch. 83-82; s. 36, ch. 86-220; s. 19, ch. 88-337; s. 1, ch. 89-322; s. 49, ch. 90-306; s. 5, ch. 91-57; s. 16, ch. 91-71; s. 250, ch. 91-224; s. 1, ch. 91-258; s. 4, ch. 95-140; s. 20, ch. 95-158; s. 111, ch. 95-418; s. 7, ch. 96-293; s. 2, ch. 98-111; s. 10, ch. 98-182; s. 40, ch. 2000-349; s. 4, ch. 2002-70.
How it applies
Section 415.1034 sets who must report and how; this section sets the penalties for failing to do so and for false reporting. A false report is defined in s. 415.102(10) as one that is not true and is maliciously made for a listed purpose, and the definition excludes reports made in good faith.
Section 415.1036 separately provides immunity for people who participate in a report or in a resulting judicial proceeding and protects reporters from employment reprisal.
Related sections
Questions people ask
Sources
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 415.111, Florida Senate (Subsections (1) to (5): the misdemeanor offenses, referral of false reports, and the felony for a false report. Quote: "commits a misdemeanor of the second degree")
- Online Sunshine, Florida Statutes (2026), s. 415.111 (Text, catchline, and History line checked against this page on 2026-10-17.)
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 415.1034, Florida Senate (Mandatory reporting duty that subsection (1) enforces.)
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 415.102, Florida Senate (Subsection (10) defines false report.)
Last checked: October 17, 2026
Published by the Probate.Help editorial team.How these pages are written and checked.