TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills Tuesday aimed at strengthening protections for children against sexual predators and artificial intelligence-generated abuse material.
The governor spoke at the FDLE Tampa Bay Regional Operations and was joined by Attorney General James Uthmeier and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass.
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The first measure, HB 445, requires judges to remand defendants to custody following conviction for certain sexual offenses.
DeSantis said the law was inspired by the death of a young girl identified only as Missy, whose stepfather was released on bail after a conviction before later killing her.
“If we had this bill in place, then Missy would be alive today,” DeSantis said. “That’s just a fact.”
The second measure, HB 1159, expands criminal penalties related to child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated content. It establishes mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders and creates a life felony for aggravated exploitation of children under 12.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the state has made more than 1,400 child predator arrests in the past year.
“There’s no state doing more to go after child predators and people that want to hurt our kids than our leaders in Florida,” Uthmeier said.