Overview
- The first Spectrum Alert, issued July 1 for 17-year-old Dominick Harris of DeLand, was followed by reports that he was found safe less than 12 hours later.
- The alert system, created by a 2025 Florida law, uses the Wireless Emergency Alert platform and lets people sign up through FDLE to receive statewide notices or an Enhanced Spectrum Alert limited to a five-mile radius.
- Spectrum Alerts are designed for missing children with autism who may be nonverbal or prone to wandering and are distinct from Amber Alerts and Purple Alerts because they target those specific risks.
- FDLE urges recipients to look visually for the child, especially near bodies of water, to avoid calling out or approaching the child, and to call 911 if they have eyes on the child; the state is also rolling out first-responder training tied to the program.
- Autism advocates pushed for the measure because children with autism face higher rates of elopement and drowning risk, and officials say the alert could shorten search times and change how communities and police respond to missing-child incidents.