"While this certainly has a laudable goal -- I am wholly in favor of the Castle Doctrine -- are you sure that Florida doesn't already recognize this?"
Yes, I thought so, too. But I will certainly check and follow up and even if the doctrine is favored under common and case law, let's support those who would give it some statutory authority as well.
I think it's a great bill (see my posts #14 and #15); I was just very surprised when I first read the initial posting because as far as I am aware, the Castle Doctrine is unimpaired in Florida.
But this bill is more than a mere fix for a putatively broken situation, it's a fine move forward: it makes it clear that one can defend oneself and others in many different situations, it allows the defense of property up to deadly force in the case of the perpetrator engaging or is about to engage in a forcible felony, and it provides remedies for cases where a homeowner is prosecuted unreasonably.
If this makes it through (and I think it has a good chance), then I would like to see Mrs. Hammer tackle turning Florida's very succesful CCW law into Vermont/Alaska carry.