CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday morning said he backs new Florida legislation that would increase penalties for shoplifters and people who steal packages from outside homes.
“Part of it is to make sure that the penalties are severe enough to deter people from doing this in the future,” DeSantis said.
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Under current Florida law, retail theft is a misdemeanor and only upgraded to a felony if someone commits five different retail thefts within 45 days, DeSantis said.
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DeSantis said the new law would make it so anyone who commits up to three retail thefts in a year can be convicted of a felony.
“That’s going to make a big difference because people have to suffer really significant penalties when that’s the case,” DeSantis said.
The Republican-led Florida Legislature is also expected to pass the law that would increase penalties for groups of five or more people who steal from a store to a third-degree felony. It would also be a second-degree felony to use social media to solicit others to participate in retail theft, DeSantis said.
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Another new law would increase penalties for people who steal packages of people’s front porches, sometimes referred to as “porch pirates,” by reducing the stolen property value necessary to charge criminals with a felony.
It would also be a first-degree felony if an individual commits retail theft with a firearm or has already had two or more prior convictions of retail theft.
According to a national study by Forbes, 75% of small business retailers reported monthly losses between $500 and $2,500 due to theft.
