Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 960.03 (2025)

Definitions; ss. 960.01-960.28.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

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960.03 Definitions; ss. 960.01-960.28.—As used in ss. 960.01-960.28, unless the context otherwise requires, the term:

(1) “Catastrophic injury” means a permanent impairment constituted by:

(a) Spinal cord injury involving severe paralysis of an arm, a leg, or the trunk;

(b) Amputation of an arm, a hand, a foot, or a leg;

1. Severe sensory or motor disturbances;

2. Severe communication disturbances;

3. Severe complex integrated disturbances of cerebral function;

4. Severe episodic neurological disorders; or

5. Other severe brain and closed-head injury conditions at least as severe in nature as any condition described in subparagraphs 1.-4.;

(d) Second-degree or third-degree burns on 25 percent or more of the total body surface or third-degree burns on 5 percent or more of the face and hands;

(e) Total or industrial blindness; or

(f) Any other injury that would otherwise qualify under this chapter and that is of a nature and severity that would qualify an employee to receive disability income benefits under Title II or supplemental security income benefits under Title XVI of the federal Social Security Act as the Social Security Act existed on July 1, 1992, without regard to any time limitations provided under that act.

(2) “Claimant” means the person on whose behalf an award is sought.

(3) “Crime” means:

(a) A felony or misdemeanor offense committed by an adult or a juvenile which results in physical injury or death, a forcible felony committed by an adult or juvenile which directly results in psychiatric or psychological injury, or a felony or misdemeanor offense of child abuse committed by an adult or a juvenile which results in a mental injury, as defined in s. 827.03, to a person younger than 18 years of age who was not physically injured by the criminal act. The mental injury to the minor must be verified by a psychologist licensed under chapter 490, by a physician licensed in this state under chapter 458 or chapter 459 who has completed an accredited residency in psychiatry, or by a physician who has obtained certification as an expert witness pursuant to s. 458.3175. The term also includes a criminal act that is committed within this state but that falls exclusively within federal jurisdiction.

(b) A violation of s. 316.027(2), s. 316.193, s. 316.1935, s. 327.35(1), s. 782.071(1)(b), or s. 860.13(1)(a) which results in physical injury or death.

(c) An act involving the operation of a motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft which results in another person’s injury or death that is intentionally inflicted through the use of the vehicle, boat, or aircraft; however, no other act involving the operation of a motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft constitutes a crime for purposes of this chapter.

(d) A criminal act committed outside this state against a resident of this state which would have been compensable if it had occurred in this state and which occurred in a jurisdiction that does not have an eligible crime victim compensation program as the term is defined in the federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984.

(e) A violation of s. 827.071, s. 847.0135, s. 847.0137, or s. 847.0138, related to online sexual exploitation and child pornography.

(f) A felony or misdemeanor that results in the death of an emergency responder, as defined in and solely for the purposes of s. 960.194, while answering a call for service in the line of duty, notwithstanding paragraph (c).

(4) “Crime Victims’ Services Office” means the former Bureau of Crimes Compensation and Victim and Witness Services, now the Crime Victims’ Services Office of the Department of Legal Affairs.

(5) “Department” means the Department of Legal Affairs.

(6) “Disabled adult” means a person 18 years of age or older who suffers from a condition of physical or mental incapacitation due to a developmental disability, organic brain damage, or mental illness or who has one or more physical or mental limitations that restrict the person’s ability to perform the normal activities of daily living.

(7) “Elderly person” means a person 60 years of age or older who is suffering from the infirmities of aging as manifested by advanced age or organic brain damage, or other physical, mental, or emotional dysfunction, to the extent that the ability of the person to provide adequately for his or her own care or protection is impaired.

(8) “Hearing officer” means a hearing officer designated by the Attorney General.

(9) “Intervenor” means any person who goes to the aid of another and suffers bodily injury or death as a direct result of acting, not recklessly, to prevent the commission of a crime, to lawfully apprehend a person reasonably suspected of having committed a crime, or to aid the victim of a crime.

(10) “Identified victim of child pornography” means any person who, while under the age of 18, is depicted in any image or movie of child pornography and who is identified through a report generated by a law enforcement agency and provided to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Child Victim Identification Program.

(11) “Out-of-pocket loss” means unreimbursed and unreimbursable expenses or indebtedness incurred for medical care, nonmedical remedial care, psychological counseling, or other treatment rendered in accordance with a religious method of healing or for other services necessary as a result of the injury or death upon which such claim is based.

(12) “Property loss” means the loss of tangible personal property directly caused by a criminal or delinquent act of another.

(13) “Treatment” means:

(a) Medical, dental, psychological, mental health, chiropractic, or physical rehabilitation services;

(b) Nonmedical remedial care; or

(14) “Victim” means:

(a) A person who suffers personal physical injury or death as a direct result of a crime;

(b) A person younger than 18 years of age who was present at the scene of a crime, saw or heard the crime, and suffered a psychiatric or psychological injury because of the crime but who was not physically injured;

(c) A person younger than 18 years of age who was the victim of a felony or misdemeanor offense of child abuse that resulted in a mental injury as defined by s. 827.03 but who was not physically injured;

(d) A person against whom a forcible felony was committed and who suffers a psychiatric or psychological injury as a direct result of that crime but who does not otherwise sustain a personal physical injury or death; or

(e) An emergency responder, as defined in and solely for the purposes of s. 960.194, who is killed answering a call for service in the line of duty.

History.—s. 1, ch. 77-452; s. 3, ch. 80-146; s. 507, ch. 81-259; s. 1, ch. 85-326; s. 25, ch. 86-296; s. 9, ch. 90-211; s. 2, ch. 91-23; s. 35, ch. 91-46; s. 4, ch. 92-107; s. 20, ch. 92-287; s. 2, ch. 96-315; s. 1, ch. 97-41; s. 11, ch. 98-417; s. 2, ch. 99-373; s. 4, ch. 2001-147; s. 8, ch. 2005-119; s. 3, ch. 2007-129; s. 7, ch. 2008-172; s. 15, ch. 2012-155; s. 101, ch. 2015-2; s. 14, ch. 2015-92; s. 13, ch. 2017-155.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases, 1981–2016 · leading case: Div. Of Workers'comp, Etc. v. Brevda, 420 So. 2d 887 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982).

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Div. Of Workers'comp, Etc. v. Brevda, 420 So. 2d 887 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982). “Appellant next contends that the deputy commissioner erred in directing the Bureau of Crimes Compensation to furnish to the claimant certain psychiatric treatment, *890 arguing that because Section 960.03(6) defines "victim" as "any person who suffers personal physical injury as…”

Latham v. State, 185 So. 3d 686 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016). · cites it 9× “027(1), Latham’s (Offense does not constitute a crime under section 960.03 because the “death was [not] intentionally inflicted through the use of [Latham’s] .”

Calvit v. Dep't of Legal Affairs, Bureau of Crime Victim Comp., 714 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998). · cites it 3× “He filed a victim relief claim pursuant to the Florida Crimes Compensation Act, which was denied on the basis that the crime occurred outside the territorial boundaries of the United States, and was therefore not compensable under section 960.03(3), Florida Statutes (1995),…”

Davis v. Bureau of Crimes Comp., 406 So. 2d 1189 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981). · cites it 2× “Davis concedes that there was no evidence that the hit and run driver intentionally struck him with his automobile; however he maintains that the driver’s act was a “crime” within the meaning of Section 960.03(3), inasmuch as the record establishes that the driver intentionally…”

Bureau of Crimes Comp., Dep't of Labor & Emp. Sec. v. Traas, 421 So. 2d 50 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982). · cites it 3× “See §§ 960.03(6), 960.03(7) and 960.04(1), Fla.”

Medlin v. Bureau of Crimes Comp. Div. of Workers' Comp., Dep't of Labor & Sec., 477 So. 2d 1078 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985). · cites it 3× “This appeal is controlled by that portion of section 960.03(3), Florida Statutes (1983), which provides that: [N]o act involving the operation of a motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft which results in injury or death shall constitute a crime for the purpose of this chapter unless…”

— 960.03(14) — 1 case

Latham v. State, 185 So. 3d 686 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016). “027(1), Latham’s (Offense does not constitute a crime under section 960.03 because the “death was [not] intentionally inflicted through the use of [Latham’s] .”

— 960.03(3) — 3 cases

Calvit v. Dep't of Legal Affairs, Bureau of Crime Victim Comp., 714 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998). “He filed a victim relief claim pursuant to the Florida Crimes Compensation Act, which was denied on the basis that the crime occurred outside the territorial boundaries of the United States, and was therefore not compensable under section 960.03(3), Florida Statutes (1995),…”

Davis v. Bureau of Crimes Comp., 406 So. 2d 1189 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981). “Davis concedes that there was no evidence that the hit and run driver intentionally struck him with his automobile; however he maintains that the driver’s act was a “crime” within the meaning of Section 960.03(3), inasmuch as the record establishes that the driver intentionally…”

Medlin v. Bureau of Crimes Comp. Div. of Workers' Comp., Dep't of Labor & Sec., 477 So. 2d 1078 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985). “This appeal is controlled by that portion of section 960.03(3), Florida Statutes (1983), which provides that: [N]o act involving the operation of a motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft which results in injury or death shall constitute a crime for the purpose of this chapter unless…”

— 960.03(3)(b) — 1 case

— 960.03(6) — 2 cases

Bureau of Crimes Comp., Dep't of Labor & Emp. Sec. v. Traas, 421 So. 2d 50 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982). “See §§ 960.03(6), 960.03(7) and 960.04(1), Fla.”

— 960.03(7) — 1 case

Bureau of Crimes Comp., Dep't of Labor & Emp. Sec. v. Traas, 421 So. 2d 50 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982). “See §§ 960.03(6), 960.03(7) and 960.04(1), Fla.”

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