Is Coercive Control Recognized in Florida Family Court?
Not yet, by that name — and not for lack of trying. Florida lawmakers have proposed adding “coercive control” to the state's domestic violence definition twice in two years, in 2025 and again in 2026. Both attempts died before reaching the Governor's desk.
Two failed attempts to add the term
SB 844 (2025) would have revised Florida Statutes §§ 741.28 and 414.0252 to include “coercive control of one family or household member by another” in the definition of domestic violence. It died in committee in June 2025. A second try, SB 682 (2026), would have rewritten § 741.28 to define coercive control with specific examples and add enhanced penalties tied to it — it was laid on the table in March 2026 after a companion bill covering different ground moved forward instead.
What actually passed in 2026 instead
The bill that did become law that session — HB 277, enacted as Chapter 2026-86, signed May 21, 2026 — amended § 741.28 and related sections, but for different purposes: reclassified penalties for repeat domestic violence offenses, an electronic-monitoring pilot program, changes to dating and sexual violence injunctions, and relocation assistance for victims. It did not add a coercive-control definition. As of this writing, Florida's domestic violence definition in § 741.28 still runs through the traditional list — assault, battery, sexual assault, stalking, and similar physical-injury-based offenses — with no separate named category for a pattern of controlling, isolating, or monitoring behavior.
Where a documented pattern still fits
Florida custody decisions run through the best-interest factors in § 61.13, and controlling behavior doesn't need a named statutory category to be relevant there — a documented pattern of monitoring, isolation, or financial control can still inform how a judge weighs the overall relationship and each parent's conduct, the same way it would in Texas or Georgia. What's missing is a dedicated legal hook that names the pattern directly, which is exactly what both failed 2025 and 2026 bills were trying to create.
Worth watching for a 2027 refile
Two attempts in two consecutive sessions is a real signal that this isn't going away as an issue in Tallahassee, even though neither bill made it into law. If a similar bill is filed for the 2027 session, that's worth checking — this page will be updated if Florida's law changes.
This is general information about Florida law as currently written, not legal advice. Verity is not a law firm, and legislation can change — talk to a Florida family law attorney about how this applies to your case.
Document the pattern, whatever the legal hook
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