WINK News: Bill requires parents sharing custody of children to use ‘safe exchange’ spots

Reporter Amy Galo

The Florida House unanimously passed a bill allowing courts to require parents who share custody of children to use “safe exchange” spots.

For victims of domestic violence, exchanging a child can be a matter of life or death.

20-year-old Laura Candia died from a bullet her grandmother said was shot by her abuser.

Candia’s grandma said she tried moving away when the abuse started, but the law forced her back. She had to do joint custody with the man who ended up killing her.

However, there’s hope others won’t see a similar fate.

“There are rural communities and other communities who have no safe place,” said Linda Oberhaus, CEO of Shelter for Abused Women & children.

The bill aims to change that. It requires all sheriff’s offices or substations to designate at least one parking lot as an exchange site. It also would allow courts to require that certain parents use them.

“I think anything we do to make the exchange of children in situations like these better is good. Although, I think that we need to put protections in place,” Oberhaus said.

The bill does have requirements, like purple lights or clear signs. It must be well-lit, available 24-7, and monitored by security cameras. But is that enough?

“If they actually have real schedules and staggered arrival times and departure times, maybe,” said Jackie Stephens, CEO of Children’s Advocacy Center in Collier County.

But that’s not the case, which leads Stephens to believe…

“It’s a band-aid. It’s not. It’s not going to keep people safe, and it’s frightening for kids,” Stephens said.

That’s because, in the case of an abuser, the location won’t matter.

“If they are determined to commit domestic violence, homicide, they’re going to do that. In many cases, exchanges that have taken place, even at local law enforcement agencies, have resulted in domestic violence homicides,” Oberhaus said.

This is why both Stephens and Oberhaus recommend going to a supervised visitation center for exchanges.

“So that the mom and the dad are not in the building or in the parking lot at the same time,” Stephens said.

If you would like to read more about this bill, click here.

The bill now awaits a hearing in the Senate.