Sheriff's offices in central Florida offer safe areas for child custody exchanges. Here's where to find them

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA – Nearly 200 new laws are now in effect in Florida as of July 1, and one of them aims to keep parents, guardians and children safe during custody exchanges.

The Safe Exchange of Minor Children Act imposes requirements on parents who have been ordered by a court to exchange their children at safe, neutral exchange locations. It also requires sheriffs to designate areas as neutral locations.

It’s often called the “Cassie Carli Act,” and it’s named after the mother who investigators believe was murdered by her child’s father during a custody dispute. Carli was last seen in 2022 in a parking lot where she was supposed to pick up her daughter from her ex-boyfriend. Her body was later found in Alabama.

Every sheriff is required by law to designate at least one parking lot or substation as a safe neutral exchange location. They must have a purple light or sign in the parking lot that clearly identifies the safe area.

The law also requires that the area be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and under continuous video surveillance. The department must retain this video recording or images for at least 45 days.

“Although the bill went into effect July 1, we have always encouraged people who needed a safe place to exchange children to do so in front of one of our buildings,” said Kim Cannaday of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

The designated “secure exchange zones” are not staffed but are considered a secure environment due to video surveillance and proximity to law enforcement.

“We suggest that if something happens, some sort of emergency occurs during the exchange of a child, to call 911 immediately,” Cannady said.

Law enforcement hopes the new spaces will bring peace of mind to parents and guardians.

“It’s important to us because we’re here to support families and we want to make sure we have a safe and secure place for those most important moments,” Cannaday said.

Below is a list of locations where you can find these safe exchange zones in Central Florida:

Marion County

Multi-District North

8311 North Highway 44, Ocala

Multi-District South

3260 SE 80th St, Ocala

Orange County

Orange County Sheriff's Office Headquarters

2500 W. Colonial Drive (near north entrance), Orlando, 32804

Seminole County

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲

100 Eslinger Way, Sanford, FL 32773

𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗢𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗼 / 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗮𝗻 / 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀)

1225 East Broadway, Oviedo, FL 32765

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀)

120 West Pineview St. Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 / 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 / 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱)

805 Primera Blvd., Lake Mary, FL 32746

Sumter County

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴)

250 E. McCollum Ave., Bushnell, FL 33513

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲

7361 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785

Volusia County

Volusia Family Resource Center

3747 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach

District 3-North

1435 US 1, Ormond Beach

District 3-South

124 N. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach

District 4

1691 Providence Blvd., Deltona

District 6

79 S. Charles R. Beall Blvd., DeBary

News 6 is rounding up the locations of all the secure exchange points in Central Florida. This article will be updated when we have the complete list.