STUART, Fla. – A new Florida law will increase the penalties against porch pirates and those who steal from retail stores.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was joined by several people, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, on Tuesday to sign HB 549 at a Walgreens in Stuart.
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The bill makes the penalties for retail theft the following:
- A third-degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, if criminals commit retail theft with five or more individuals.
- A second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, if criminals commit retail theft with five or more individuals and use social media to solicit others to participate in the theft.
- A first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, if a criminal commits retail theft with a firearm or with two or more prior convictions of retail theft.
- The ability to charge a felony for multiple retail thefts occurring in the span of 120 days, which is an increase from 30 days.
It also makes the punishment for porch pirates the following:
- Theft of property in an amount less than $40 is a first-degree misdemeanor.
- A subsequent violation is a third-degree felony.
- Theft of property valued at $40 or more is a third-degree felony.
He said the bill aims to reduce the impact of theft on businesses.
“We don’t want to see prices increase and we certainly don’t want to treat every retail establishment as if every item needs to be under a lock and key just so that they’re not looted out and that will not happen in the state of Florida. You will have toothpaste on the shelf that you can grab, check out and leave. Imagine that, isn’t that great that we were able to do that?” DeSantis said.
The governor said the bill also cracks down on retail theft rings, “making sure people that use social media to incite these flash mobs of retail theft, that all those people are held accountable.”
“If you order something and they leave it at your front door, you come home from work or bring your kids home from school, package is going to be there. And if it’s not, someone’s gonna have hell to pay for stealing it,” he said.
The event comes a day after DeSantis signed bills cracking down on fentanyl exposure with first responders and raising awareness.
Watch the full bill signing below:
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