Final state committee approves Rex and Brody Act

State Sen. Keith Perry speaks during Friday's delegation meeting.
State Sen. Keith Perry speaks during the March 17, 2023, delegation meeting.
Photo by Seth Johnson

A final Florida Senate committee unanimously passed the Rex and Brody Act on Wednesday morning, clearing the way for a Senate vote on the bill with Alachua County origins.  

The bill, SB 404, prevents public access through the Florida Sunshine Law to autopsy information of minors killed through domestic violence incidents. An almost identical version received unanimous support in the Florida House last year but never reached a vote in the senate before the end of the session. 

This year, state Sen. Keith Perry and state Rep. Chuck Clemons refiled the bill in both the House and Senate. The Senate bill has now unanimously passed three committees and can proceed to the chamber floor.  

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“There’s no compelling interest to have this kind of information out there,” Perry said at Wednesday’s committee hearing.  

The bill is named after two Alachua County kids, Rex Reinhart, 14, and Brody Reinhart, 11, who were murdered in a domestic violence incident in May 2021. Following the deaths, autopsy information spread online against the wishes of Rex and Brody’s mother.  

Perry said the bill will protect family and friends of the minors from accidentally finding information about the deaths that they’d rather not know.  

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