Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced new legislation aimed at cracking down hard on retail theft so that crime waves seen in liberal states do not come to the Sunshine State.
In 2022, retailers across the country lost $112 billion to retail theft, with sharp increases in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., whereas in Florida, shoplifting has decreased by 30% since DeSantis first took office, according to the Republican governor.
DeSantis wants to keep the downward trend going, announcing on Tuesday that it will be a first-degree felony if a person commits theft with a firearm or has already had two or more prior convictions of retail theft, under his proposal. A first-degree felony in Florida is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000.
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He also wants to make it a second-degree felony if criminals use social media to solicit others to participate in retail theft, while it will be a third-degree felony to commit retail theft with five or more individuals.
A second-degree felony in Florida carries up to 15 years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000, while a third-degree felony could jail criminals for up to five years and/or fines of up to $5,000.
His legislation will also tackle "porch piracy," the stealing of delivery packages from private properties, which will become a third-degree felony if the package is valued between $40 and $100.
"If you commit a crime in Florida, you are going to be held accountable," DeSantis said. "We will not tolerate retail crime, porch pirates and the lawlessness that they allow in California and New York."
DeSantis, citing a national study by Forbes, said that around 41% of small business retailers said the value of items stolen in 2023 has increased compared to previous years.
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He said that 75% of small business retailers reported monthly losses between $500 and $2,500 due to theft, while 85% of small business retailers said they experience theft at least once a year, and just 5% of small business retailers report never experiencing theft.
Increasing prices (64%) was the most popular measure small business retailers reported implementing to reduce theft.
In high-crime states like New York, retailers lost more than $4 billion, while shoplifting has increased by 63% in New York City alone, he said.
"Cities and states that have effectively legalized shoplifting have hurt their local businesses and created a culture of lawlessness that has harmed the quality of life," DeSantis wrote on X, while announcing the legislation. "FL is a law-and-order state, and I look forward to working with the legislature to crack down on retail theft."
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass welcomed the proposed legislation.
"Governor DeSantis continues to strengthen Florida laws to fight organized retail theft, cracking down on the kind of professional shoplifting that we’ve seen plague other states," Glass said.
"He is ensuring Florida will stay safe for families, prosperous for our businesses and a paradise for our visitors."
The legislation would have a good chance of becoming law, given the Florida state legislature has strong majorities in both the State Senate and the State House of Representatives.
