Florida domestic violence survivors may face financial penalties for breaking leases to escape abuse, and despite new state protections passed this session, legislation that would have allowed survivors to exit leases penalty-free never received a hearing — though its sponsor vows to try again.

In Orange County, authorities say Bryan Watts, a convicted felon, shot and killed his two young daughters, Tiana and Jaliyajh, before killing himself at their apartment last week. The killings happened one day after Watts was in court on charges accusing him of beating his girlfriend.

At Harbor House of Central Florida, family members have a safe place to go, right alongside their pets.

Trooper Steve on Patrol went behind the scenes to show you exactly how your donations are changing lives.

News 6 anchor Lisa Bell recently met Moriah, a 7-year-old golden retriever with a big job: helping survivors at Harbor House begin to feel safe again.

For many survivors, pets provide comfort, stability, and unconditional love during a difficult time.

Nationwide, only about 17 percent of domestic violence shelters allow animals on-site. Harbor House of Central Florida is one of the few that does, thanks in part to its Paws for Peace Kennel.

Orange County’s certified domestic violence center is transforming how survivors escape dangerous situations by ensuring they don’t have to leave their pets behind.

With support from Harbor House staff, Kimmie Winn began rebuilding her independence. After 13 years without working, she was able to get a job, something she once thought was impossible.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes will celebrate its 12th annual walk this Thursday in downtown Orlando. The event raises funds to support Harbor House and its life-saving, life-changing services for domestic violence survivors. How? Men trade their shoes for women’s shoes and literally walk in them.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Harbor House Of Central Florida has several events planned.

More than 300 volunteers and members of law enforcement set out across Orange County Saturday to raise awareness about domestic abuse.

Their findings revealed domestic violence incidents increased 8.1% after jurisdictions imposed pandemic-related lockdown orders. “If we look at different data sources over the last 20 years or so, we had seen declines actually in domestic violence so what I’ll say is the pandemic has set us back in terms of our ability to address domestic violence,” University of Central Florida professor and chair with the department of criminal justice, Catherine Kaukinen, said. She is one of the authors of the new study that focused on the impacts the pandemic had during 2020 on domestic abuse. Domestic violence is still completely underreported,” Sperzel said. “We really saw an increase in the number of people seeking out our outreach services and our community services and also our legal program.