JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Councilman Rory Diamond introduced legislation Tuesday that would fund the installation of Safe Haven baby boxes at a fire station in each city council district, giving parents in crisis a secure, anonymous option to surrender newborns.
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City Council Bill 2026-186 would appropriate funds to place temperature-controlled, secure devices at designated locations such as fire stations. The boxes allow a parent to legally and anonymously surrender an infant and automatically alert first responders so the child receives prompt care.
“There is nothing more precious than a little baby, than life, and with these baby boxes we are protecting these innocent little lives and giving their parents who, for whatever reason, chose to surrender them, a safe way to do so,” Diamond said.
Diamond will hold a press conference at 8:30 a.m. March 25 at Jacksonville City Hall to discuss the measure. The bill was filed on March 10 and is scheduled for committee discussion the first week of April, with a final City Council vote set for April 14.