Several new Florida laws aimed at strengthening the state’s response to domestic violence and dating violence took effect Wednesday, including tougher penalties for repeat offenders.
The changes come right after as investigators in Jacksonville responded to a Northside shooting that police say stemmed from a domestic dispute and left a 4-year-old girl dead and her 2-year-old sister and their mother in life-threatening condition.
The new laws also arrive months after a high-profile domestic violence case in Bradford County. Deputies said a mother, Rachael Kerr, was killed in an apparent murder-suicide on Jan. 29 after her estranged husband shot her. Investigators said their two children were inside the home at the time…