ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Law enforcement officials and local activists in the Orlando area differed in their reactions Wednesday to the signing of HB 7051, a new police reform bill, by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday.

“The bill is a lot of words of things that are already in place,” community activist Lawanna Gelzer said.

Gelzer has been pushing for police reform and has organized and participated in marches and protests across Central Florida. 

The measure requires law enforcement officers to intervene if another officer uses excessive force, and all officers will have to receive more training to avoid excessive force. It also limits chokeholds to situations when an officer believes an immediate threat is present of serious bodily injury or death to the officer or another person.

When it comes to HB 7051, Gelzer said, “I am not buying.”

She said she believes the new law won't change anything.

“There is no tangle holding anyone accountable,” she said.

While Sheriff John Mina agreed that the new law would not change much in Orange County, he liked it.

“I was in support of that legislation from the very beginning,” Mina said. “Here at the Orange County Sheriff's Office, we do most of things in the legislation.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office already has a ban on chokeholds unless it’s a deadly situation, and the agency tracks use-of-force cases, Mina said. 

However, Mina said he believes the new measure will improve law enforcement in Florida as a whole.

“I think this legislation will help transparency and accountability and make sure the State of Florida is consistent (across) all law enforcement agencies,” Mina said.

Gelzer said there is still a long way to go when it comes to police reform in Florida.

“The fight will continue until we truly see police reform,” Gelzer said.  “It starts with (changing) qualified immunity and accountability for bad policing.”