Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill limiting civilian investigations by government-affiliated boards into the behavior of local law enforcement officers, including in Miami, St. Petersburg and Tampa. The law, which takes effect in July, has consequences for civilian oversight panels that in more than 20 Florida counties and cities look into citizen complaints against officers by using public records and witness interviews and by auditing police investigations.

A bill that would prevent investigations of local law enforcement by civilian review boards was formally sent Wednesday to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure (HB 601), which the Legislature passed last month, would affect at least 21 cities with civilian review boards. Cities including Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Key West, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach have had such boards. Supporters of the boards say they can delve into complaints about alleged police wrongdoing.