But on Monday, a Senate select committee headed by state Sen. Joe Negron began examining whether Florida laws need to be changed at all or if enough protections against abuse and neglect are already on the books.
Negron cautioned against allowing emotions to prevail in crafting legislation and instead urged cooler heads to prevail.
"In my view, the committee is not here to second guess the jury," Negron, R-Stuart, told the Select Committee on Protecting Florida's Children, Monday afternoon. "We're here to determine whether we need to pass additional laws to protect children. That's our only purpose."
Caylee Anthony was last seen on June 15, 2008. Her mother waited a month before telling her parents or police that the child was missing. Caylee Anthony's body was found in December 2008, but her body was so decomposed medical examiners could not determine the cause of death.
Like every other state in the nation, Negron said Monday, Florida does not have a law making it a crime to not report a child missing. Florida lawmakers have filed at least eight bills related to the Casey Anthony case and at least 25 other states are considering similar legislation.
But Florida's existing abuse and neglect laws that cover the "failure or omission" to care for a child's physical and mental health should already cover that, said Negron, a lawyer.
Prosecutors did not charge Casey Anthony with neglect or abuse, instead charging her with murder in the death of Caylee. A jury acquitted her on July 5 but found her guilty of giving law enforcement officials false information in connection with the case.
Negron said he believe Anthony would have been found guilty of abuse or neglect, because she did not know where her two-year-old child was for days or weeks.
Negron recalled his own panic when his son, 6 or 7 years old at the time, and a friend momentarily couldn't be found for moments at a theme park.
"Forget hours or days, within minutes, you're in a complete state. Frantic," Negron said. "If it went beyond several minutes into several hours and daysthat would be considered neglect of a child."
Prosecutors probably had "valid reasons" for not charging Anthony with neglect, Negron added.
Lawmakers and others are also worried about the possible unintended consequences of legislating by anecdote based on the Casey Anthony trial results.
Donna Uzzell, director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Information Center which oversees a missing child database, said that most children are reported missing within 24 hours.
But in cases where parents are divorced, some parents believe they need court documents before they can file a report, Uzzell said. Others mistakenly believe there is a mandated waiting period before a report can be filed, she said.
Negron noted that following the murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in 2005, lawmakers quickly passed legislation cracking down on sex offenders. But they were forced to later tweak the law because the severe restrictions on where sex offenders can live prompted dozens of sex offenders to set up residence under the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami.
Negron said his committee will decide before the session begins in January whether a new law is required.
"We're going to have just one goal in mind and that is what can we do to protect children. And I come at it from (the point of view that) the primary duty to protect children rests with the parents," Negron said.
asey Anthony did much more than shock the nation with her behavior during the time her daughter was allegedly missing. She inspired a new law which is coming closer and closer to becoming the real deal. Caylee's Law would make it a felony to not report a death or disappearance of a child within 48 hours.
Something is really disappointing about how some states are reacting to this proposed law, though. The state of Florida isn't reacting well to the law; but truly the people who watched their money and time go to waste may not be in total agreement. Sen. Joe Negron feels that Florida's current child abuse and protection laws are adequate enough. Honestly, if you want to know how effective the Florida laws and enforcement is for children, all you need to do is visit the Dreamin' Demon and click "Florida" to see all of the disgusting cases of children who have gone ignored, slipped through the cracks much like Caylee Marie Anthony.
It's the same case in any state. It's horrendous how many crimes against children go unnoticed, and the Casey Anthony case is just more chilling proof of how "mothers" often go unpunished, or punished lightly, due to the inconsistencies in how they are prosecuted and investigated. Nonetheless, each state differs in how it conducts these things, and whether or not one person thinks Caylee's Law is necessary, that is still just one person -- whether or not he is a state senator.
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