S 1712

Florida Senate - 2026  SB 1712
By Senator Martin
33-00715-26  20261712__
1A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to the Statewide Counterintelligence
3and Counterterrorism Unit; creating s. 943.0316, F.S.;
4providing legislative intent; defining the term
5“adversary intelligence entity”; requiring the
6Department of Law Enforcement to establish and
7administer a Statewide Counterintelligence and
8Counterterrorism Unit at a specified location;
9requiring that a team from the unit be assigned to and
10aligned with each regional domestic security task
11force; specifying unit duties; requiring the
12department to create a team by a specified date to
13serve as the initial leadership and organizational
14core of the full unit; requiring the department to
15establish a statewide unit housed in a specified
16location; requiring that the unit be composed of a
17specified number of teams; requiring the department to
18annually request a certain number of positions and
19amount of funding for each position in order to
20achieve full staffing by a specified date; specifying
21team tasks, composition, and experience requirements;
22providing an effective date.
23
24Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26Section 1. Section 943.0316, Florida Statutes, is created
27to read:
28943.0316Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism
29Unit.—
30(1)It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a
31dedicated counterintelligence and counterterrorism unit whose
32primary goal is to conduct statewide counterintelligence and
33counterterrorism activities to detect, identify, neutralize, and
34exploit adversary intelligence entities, international and
35domestic terrorists, insider threats, corporate threats, and
36other foreign adversaries to protect this state and the United
37States of America.
38(2)As used in this section, the term “adversary
39intelligence entity” includes, but is not limited to, any
40national, foreign, multinational, friendly, competitor,
41opponent, adversary, or recognized enemy government or
42nongovernmental organization, company, business, corporation,
43consortium, group, agency, cell, terrorist, insurgent, guerrilla
44entity, or person whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions
45are a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state and
46the United States of America.
47(3)The Department of Law Enforcement shall establish and
48administer a Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism
49Unit housed at the department’s regional operational center,
50with a team from the unit assigned to and aligned with each
51regional domestic security task forceestablished under s.
52943.0312. The unit shall identify threats by analyzing patterns
53of life, gathering actionable intelligence, and formulating
54effective plans of action, and by executing arrests or by
55revealing its intent to compel a response using all
56counterintelligence and counterterrorism tradecraft necessary to
57protect the state from adversary intelligence entities. The unit
58may conduct direct action missions on its own against a threat
59or may incorporate with or into other units to counteract and
60stop identifiable threats.
61(4)The department shall:
62(a)Create a 10-person team by July 1, 2027, whose main
63purpose is to serve as the initial leadership and organizational
64core of the full unit;
65(b)Establish a statewide unit, housed at the department’s
66regional operational center which must be composed of at least
67seven teams, with a team being assigned to each regional
68domestic security task force; and
69(c)Each fiscal year, request the appropriate number of
70positions and funding required for each position in order to be
71fully staffed no later than December 30, 2033.
72(5)(a)Each team shall perform tasks in support of the
73state’s domestic security mission, including, but not limited
74to, providing technical operations to insider threat
75investigations and assigning team officers to safeguardthe
76state from adversary intelligence entities by using
77counterintelligence to detect, identify, assess, and counteract
78threats posed by such entities.
79(b)Each team must, at a minimum, be composed of all of the
80following:
811.A team leader who is an assistant special agent in
82charge;
832.A facility security officer who is a special agent
84supervisor with counterintelligence experience, to be assigned
85four intelligence analysts; and
863.A deputy team leader who is a special agent supervisor,
87to be assigned six counterintelligence agents, one of whom must
88be a regional federal liaison officer, one of whom must be a
89regional state liaison officer, and one of whom must be a local
90liaison officer.
91(c)Each team member must:
921.Have been a member of or have received formal training
93in any United States government agency, have served as a United
94States servicemember, or have experience with any law
95enforcement agency as an officer, agent, analyst, or operative
96serving in intelligence, counterintelligence, or
97counterterrorism; or
982.Have at least 3 years of experience of actively working
99in the fields of intelligence, counterintelligence, or
100counterterrorism.
101Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.