Florida state senator files bill to outlaw leaving children unattended in car for any length of time

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Under current Florida law, a child younger than 6 can be left unattended in a vehicle for up to 15 minutes.

Following the death of 3-year-old Myles Hill, who died after being left in a hot day care van for nearly 12 hours outside an Orlando facility, state Sen. Lauren Book wants to change that.

The bill she filed recently would make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle “for any length of time.”

Violating the law would be a misdemeanor, unless great bodily harm is caused to the child, in which case the violation becomes a felony.

Sen. Linda Stewart, who supports the proposed legislation, told Channel 9 that in 15 minutes, the heat inside a vehicle could increase dramatically.

“I think we’re going to have to be stronger about it and recognize we do live in Florida and this is a deadly threat to children,” she said.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer, though, said the proposed language of the bill was overly vague and could inadvertently criminalize behavior like putting gas in a vehicle or returning a shopping cart at a grocery store.

Cox Media Group