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The Florida AMBER Plan was established in 2000, making Florida the second state in the nation to develop a statewide AMBER Alert. The purpose of the Plan is to broadcast critical information of an abducted child as quickly as possible to the media and general public. The initial plan included use of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to notify the media and public. The plan was expanded in 2002 to include use of road signs and lottery machines when an Alert is activated. Additionally, the Plan now includes the ability for members of the public to receive emails or free text messages when an AMBER Alert is activated.
The AMBER Alert was named for nine year-old Amber Hagerman. She was abducted in 1996 while riding her bicycle outside of her grandparent's home in Texas. She was found deceased four days later. The case is still unsolved. AMBER has since become an acronym for "America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response". In 2003, Congress passed the PROTECT Act to establish and support the development of AMBER plans in each state.
Missing Child Alert
The Florida Missing Child Alert was established in 2003 to provide law enforcement with a tool to quickly disseminate information when a child is missing and believed to be in life-threatening danger, but there is no indication that the child has been abducted.
The Missing Child Alert is a media-focused emergency broadcast designed to engage the public in the search for the missing child.
A Missing Child Alert may evolve into an AMBER Alert if the law enforcement investigation later reveals an indication that the child has been abducted. In these instances, the Missing Child Alert can serve as a mechanism to begin releasing information to the public while law enforcement continues to investigate the cause of the disappearance.
Click here to view the criteria and activation process for the Missing Child Alert. To find out more about the differences between the AMBER Alert and Missing Child Alert, visit the AMBER Alert portion of this website.
Purple Alert Program
The Florida Chiefs and Sheriffs, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Lottery, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Florida legislators have worked in conjunction with concerned citizens and organizations to develop Florida's Purple Alert Plan.
The Florida Purple Alert is used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability that is not Alzheimer's disease or a dementia-related disorder; an intellectual disability or a developmental disability; a brain injury; other physical, mental or emotional disabilities that are not related to substance abuse; or a combination of any of these and whose disappearance poses a credible threat of immediate danger or seriously bodily harm. Purple Alerts engage the public in the search for the missing person and provide a standardized and coordinated community response.
Silver Alert Program
The Florida Chiefs and Sheriffs, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Lottery, and Florida legislators have worked in conjunction with concerned citizens and organizations to develop Florida's Silver Alert Plan.
The Florida Silver Alert is used to locate missing persons suffering from an irreversible deterioration of intellectual faculties. The Florida Silver Alert Plan outlines two levels of Silver Alert Activation: Local and State. Local and State Silver Alerts engage the public in the search for the missing person and provide a standardized and coordinated community response.