JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation aimed to strengthen protections for children against sexual crimes.
 
“Florida has zero tolerance for criminals who exploit children,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Throughout my time in office, we've worked with the legislature to strengthen penalties for child abuse, hold predators accountable, and ensure that Florida remains a safe place to raise a family.”
 
Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 777, House Bill 1351, House Bill 1455 and House Bill 1161 into law; and committed to signing Senate Bill 1804 into law in the coming days.
 
House Bill 777 Offenses Involving Children strengthens Florida’s laws against luring or enticing children. The bill:
 

• Expands victim age: Applies the offense to any child under 14, instead of a narrower age group.
• Expands offense scope: Includes luring or enticing a child out of a structure, dwelling, or vehicle—not just into one.
• Eliminates certain defenses: Ignorance of the child’s age, misrepresentation of the child’s age and bona fide belief about the child’s age.
• Enhances Penalties: First offense is raised from a 1st-degree misdemeanor to a 3rd-degree felony and second or subsequent offenses are raised from 3rd-degree felony to 2nd-degree felony.

 
House Bill 1351 Registration of Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders enhances registration, reporting, and verification requirements for sexual predators and offenders in Florida. The bill:
 

• Enhances initial registration information of sexual offenders. The bill requires registrants report their occupation, business name, employment address, and employment phone number.
• Expands ongoing reporting requirements for sexual offenders. The bill specifies that sexual offenders and predators must report in-state travel residences within 48 hours either online through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)’s online system or in person with the sheriff’s office.
• Establishes address verification by local law enforcement. The bill also establishes that local law enforcement agencies must conduct address verifications of sexual offenders at least one time per calendar year and sexual predators four times per calendar year to ensure the accuracy of the information.  

 
House Bill 1455 Sexual Offenses by Persons Previously Convicted of Sexual Offenses provides mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment for specified sexual offenses when committed by registered offenders or predators. The bill:
 

• Specifies that a person sentenced under these conditions must be held to the mandatory minimum sentence, even if the sentence exceeds the maximum authorized sentence.
• Specifies that a person sentenced is not eligible for any form of discretionary early release, other than by pardon or conditional medical release, before serving the full minimum sentence.

 
House Bill 1161, called “Brooke’s Law” in honor of the brave young woman who joined us today to share her experience as the victim of AI-generated explicit imagery – protects victims of digital sexual abuse by providing a clear, enforceable, and swift process to remove exploitative deepfake material from online platforms. The bill:
 

• Protects victims of digital sexual abuse by ensuring victims of deepfake exploitation have a clear, enforceable process to remove damaging material.
• Holds platforms accountable by establishes a basic duty of care for platforms that profit from user-generated content.
• Requires covered platforms (for example, websites and online services) to remove altered sexual depictions and copies of such depictions from their platform upon request of the victim within 48 hours.
• Prevents legal overreach by maintaining platform immunity for good-faith compliance, avoiding chilling effects on speech or over-moderation.
• Finally, the bill gives platforms room to design their own processes, while enforcing a baseline level of accountability.

 
Senate Bill 1804 Capital Sex Trafficking establishes Capital Human Trafficking of Vulnerable Persons for Sexual Exploitation as a new felony offense that carries the harshest possible penalties under Florida law. Adults who profit off the sexual exploitation of children under 12, or individuals who are mentally incapacitated, will face life imprisonment or the death penalty. The bill:
 

• Ensures maximum accountability for the worst crimes. Individuals who orchestrate the most egregious forms of sexual exploitation face the harshest penalty under Florida law—including life imprisonment or death.
• Specifically targets trafficking crimes involving young children and persons with disabilities, who are least able to protect themselves or seek help.
• Includes a robust sentencing framework and closes dangerous loopholes.