Florida law allowing rape test kits to be stored for decades: ‘Know that there's support available’
New law aims to protect rape victims
FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports on a new Florida law allowing rape kits to be stored for up to five decades – providing more time for victims to decide if they want to report being sexually assaulted.
TAMPA, Fla. - It may take years for survivors of sexual assault to report a crime if they choose to do it at all. A new law that went into effect last year aims to help protect them by storing rape kits for up to 50 years.
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and victim advocates in Tampa are sharing how they are informing survivors of the change.
Nurses with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay gather evidence using a rape kit, and what happens to those kits has changed.
What they're saying:
"We literally got in our car, drove them, went into the facility and turned them over," said Clara Reynolds, the president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
She said they now drop off kits that are not reported after 30 days to a local Florida Department of Law Enforcement office in Tampa.
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"In the past, we were only able to keep those kits up to a year mainly because of space," said Reynolds. "So, we would keep in touch with that survivor and ask them, has anything changed in your life? Are you interested in reporting? If they said yes, then we would have to release that kit over to law enforcement. If they said no, then we would have to destroy that evidence after a year."
Dig deeper:
Now, there’s significantly more time before they get destroyed.
A new law, just six months into effect, requires the FDLE to store those non-reported kits for up to 50 years.
"Previously, that amount of time a kit was in storage depended on the specific agency where they performed that exam and whether or not that agency was holding it or if law enforcement was holding it," said Jessica Pinto, an advocate manager at Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
Local perspective:
Adding that standard is a big deal for the survivors. Pinto works one-on-one with them in Tampa and Ruskin.
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"Yeah, we're explaining that they have a lot more time now. They have literally decades, or 50 years, to decide what they want to do next," said Pinto.
It gives them more choice and control if victims want to report the crime later.
"They may not be in a living situation when they’re ready to talk about it. They may not be in an economic situation where they’re ready to disclose," said Reynolds.
Big picture view:
Advocates say one in six American women are sexually assaulted, and the new law sends a message of believing in survivors if or when they are ready to tell their story.
"It's important for survivors to know that there's support available and that there is hope," said Pinto.
What's next:
The Crisis Center said the law only applies to the rape kits gathered since the law went into effect in October 2024. Advocates said FDLE would store the non-reported kits separately from the reported crimes.
If you are a victim of rape and need an exam or other resources, you can call the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211 or visit their website here.
The Source: FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo collected the information in this story.
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