A Lakeland Mother Lost Her Son to a Motorcycle Crash. She Fought Back. Now Florida Is Starting to Listen.
Ashlee Schilling is pushing Florida lawmakers to enact Blue’s Law, named for her son Blue Tyler Scott, killed Nov. 1, 2025. Photos courtesy of Ashlee Schilling.
Blue Tyler Scott was 19 years old and had just bought his first motorcycle four months before he was killed. He paid cash for a Kawasaki Ninja 500 from Fun Bike Center in July 2025. He was proud of it. Those who knew him say he rode every chance he got, made friends quickly in the biker community, and had an infectious smile that people remembered.
On Nov. 1, 2025, at 9:54 a.m., Blue was on his way home when a car pulled out in front of him at 3300 S. County Line Road in Lakeland. The collision was fatal. He was 19 years old.
His mother, Ashlee Schilling, says what happened next made a devastating loss even harder to accept.
Schilling told the Polk County Board of County Commissioners on June 2, 2026, that the driver fled the scene and hid drugs in a nearby wooded area. When paramedics arrived and law enforcement requested a blood draw of the driver, Schilling said, the paramedic on scene talked the driver out of submitting to the procedure, telling him the results could be used against him. No blood draw was taken. Under Florida law at the time, none was required.
Records obtained by The Citrus Tea show the driver was later cited for failure to yield when entering the highway from a private road, for operating under a learner’s permit without a licensed adult in the front passenger seat, meaning he was not legally authorized to be driving alone, for no proof of insurance, and for not wearing a safety belt. He was not arrested at the scene.
On April 29, 2026, the driver entered a no-contest plea in Polk County Traffic Court and was adjudicated guilty. He was fined $1,114, had his driver’s license suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to complete community service hours at a hospital or trauma center focusing on vehicle accidents. He served no jail time.
“I wholeheartedly believe if this law was in place, the outcome would have been totally different. The person who hit and killed my son literally got a slap on the wrist and is walking free.” – Ashlee Schilling
A Policy Already Changed
Schilling’s advocacy has already moved the needle in Polk County. Following her son’s death and her subsequent advocacy, the Office of Medical Direction issued an internal policy memo on May 20, 2026, formally authorizing OMD-cleared paramedics to perform blood draws at the request of law enforcement. The memo establishes a six-step procedure and will be formally incorporated into the next update of the Clinical Care Guidelines.
At the June 2 BOCC meeting, county staff representative Becky Troutman acknowledged what Schilling’s fight had already accomplished. “Because of your advocacy for your son, that policy is now in place that would help other families going forward,” Troutman told her.
The board went further. County Attorney Randy Mink is committed to engaging the county’s legislative delegation. “We’d like to talk to our legislative delegation about that. Definitely,” Mink said. Chair Martha Santiago confirmed the board’s intent. “This is something that we’ll do too, talk to our legislators and see how we can work through this,” Santiago said. “I believe the board could support that to move forward and see if we can find a sponsor. The legislative process is a little complicated, but we’ll see what we can do.”
Troutman also told Schilling that Florida legislators hold an annual open meeting in Bartow, where members of the public may speak directly before legislators. Schilling has indicated she intends to attend.
What Blue’s Law Would Do
At the state level, Blue’s Law would go further than the Polk County policy change. It would make a mandatory blood draw at the scene of any traffic fatality involving a motorcycle a requirement under Florida law. It would also increase criminal penalties for drivers who strike and kill motorcyclists, classifying such offenses as second-degree felonies carrying penalties of up to 15 years in Florida State Prison, up to 15 years of probation, and fines of up to $10,000.
“This law is not just about punishing those at fault,” Schilling wrote in her petition. “It’s about changing behavior and saving lives on our roads.”
SIGN THE PETITION FOR BLUES LAW
The Gap in Florida Law
Under Florida Statute 316.1933, law enforcement may conduct a mandatory blood draw in a crash involving serious bodily injury or death, but only if officers have probable cause to believe the driver was under the influence. That determination is left to the officer on scene. Critics of the current standard say it creates an uneven system where families in identical circumstances can receive completely different outcomes depending on a single officer’s judgment.
Schilling is not alone in this fight. Kelli Boyd, a Gainesville mother whose 17-year-old son Clayton Emerson was killed in a 2024 motorcycle crash, has been pushing a parallel effort called Clayton’s Law, which would require toxicology testing in all fatal crashes involving negligence. The driver who struck and killed her son had a prior criminal history that included drug-related arrests spanning more than a decade. He was never tested. Read the full Clayton’s Law story at thecitrustea.com.
The Stakes in Florida
The need for stronger protections reflects a statewide crisis. Florida ranked No. 1 in the nation in motorcycle fatalities for three consecutive years, recording 578 motorcycle deaths and 9,420 total crashes in 2024, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles crash data. Motorcyclists account for 17 percent of all Florida traffic fatalities despite representing only 3.5 percent of registered vehicles in the state. Left-turn collisions, in which a vehicle crosses the path of an oncoming motorcycle, account for 36 percent of motorcycle fatalities statewide.
Blue’s Bike
After the crash, Blue’s motorcycle was taken in for repairs. The shop told Schilling it was unfixable. Dynasty Automotive in Orlando disagreed and took on the restoration for free. A new motor was installed. The original ignition and handlebars were kept. The exhaust was customized the way Blue would have wanted it, louder.
Ashlee rides it now. Every time she does, she says she feels closer to him, and it gives her the strength to keep fighting.
“I’m just praying that all this fighting that I have been doing isn’t for nothing,” Schilling wrote on Facebook on June 7, 2026. “I want this law to be passed more than anything. I know it will not bring my son back, but the fact that this law could help so many families get justice. Motorcycles are not protected. So yes, I will continue to fight.”
She is scheduled to meet with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd this month, hoping he will formally back Blue’s Law. No legislative sponsor has been identified as of publication.
Note: Change.org petitions are open to signers nationwide and do not qualify as verified signatures under Florida’s citizen initiative process. They serve as tools to build public awareness and demonstrate support to lawmakers. To sign the Blue’s Law petition, visit change.org/p/support-the-enactment-of-blues-law-in-florida.
Sources: Ashlee Schilling public comment, Polk County Board of County Commissioners Regular Session, June 2, 2026, polk-county.tv/internetchannel/show/7779 (public comment begins at approximately 4:01:00); Office of Medical Direction internal policy memo, Law Enforcement Blood Draw, May 20, 2026, shared publicly by Ashlee Schilling via Facebook, June 7, 2026; Ashlee Schilling Facebook post, June 7, 2026; Florida Uniform Traffic Citations AM0NZ0E, AM0NZ1E, AM0NZ2E, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Det. J. Colon, Nov. 1, 2025; Minutes of Court Proceeding, Case No. 53-2026-TR-010533-A000-BA, Polk County Court, April 29, 2026; Blue Tyler Scott obituary, Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes, Nov. 1, 2025; Change.org, Blue’s Law petition; Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles crash data, 2024, flhsmv.gov. All photos courtesy of Ashley Schilling. Used with permission.
