Tom Leek Introduces Legislation to Honor Late Daytona Beach Police Officer

Florida State Senator Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) has filed his first legislation in the upper chamber in honor of the late Daytona Beach Police Department officer Jason Raynor. He was killed in 2021 in the line of duty. The bill will be named the “Officer Jason Raynor Act,” and intends to mandate that those who are convicted of manslaughter of a police officer receive life in prison with no parole.

Sen. Leek shared that those who attack those behind the "thin blue line" must "face the consequences" of their decisions.

“I am proud to file this important legislation to honor the memory of police officer Jason Raynor in his untimely death at the hands of someone who was only sentenced to 30 years instead of life in prison without parole,” said Sen. Leek. “Those who choose to attack our law enforcement with deadly force must face the consequences of their actions and be held accountable and prosecuted to the highest extent of the law,” he concluded.

A companion bill in the House of Representatives has not yet been filed but is expected in the coming weeks. Similar legislation was filed in 2024 (SB 1092/HB 1657) but was not passed during the 2024 Legislative Session.

Moreover, background is provided here by the “Officer Down Memorial Page” website here:

Jason Robert Raynor - Police Officer Jason Raynor succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on June 23rd, 2021, while he was investigating a suspicious vehicle.

He noticed the vehicle parked near an apartment building in the 100 block of Kingston Avenue at about 8:50 p.m. The occupant of the vehicle exited it and then suddenly pushed Officer Raynor. During the ensuing struggle, the subject shot Officer Raynor in the head.

The man fled to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was arrested three days later. He was extradited to Florida and charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer. In September 2023, the man was convicted of manslaughter, and in October 2023, he was sentenced to 30 years.

Officer Raynor had served with the Daytona Beach Police Department for two years and had previously served with the Port Orange Police Department for three years. He is survived by his mother, father, and sister.