WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nearly 30 new laws went into effect today in Florida, including five aimed at protecting children from predators. One, even upping the sentencing for those convicted to capital punishment.
WATCH BELOW: 'The increased penalties are brilliant,' Becky Dymond tells WPTV
Under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, criminals charged with trafficking children under 12 years old could face life in prison or even death.
"SB 1804, which establishes capital human trafficking, make no mistake, these sexual predators will stop at nothing to be able to harm kids," DeSantis said.
Becky Dymond with Lighthouse Palm Beach County, who helps survivors of sex trafficking, supports the enhanced punishments.
"The increased penalties are brilliant," she said. She explained that the majority of victims she helps, were first abused as children.
"Statistically, 85% to 90%, it changes the glasses that they view life from that it's not safe," Dymond said.
Dymond believes the harsh crackdown on convicted predators is necessary, especially when it comes to enticing victims.
"They're going, 'Hey, would you like to get your hair done? Would you like to get your nails done? You know, do this for me. I can do something for you.' They're so vulnerable," Dymond said.
To help in those cases, House Bill 777 now in effect, targets predators trying to lure children. Raising the charge from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony. For a second offense, the charge jumps to a second-degree felony.
"What part of that would be a misdemeanor? It's like, how dumb is that?" Dymond said.
The bill also eliminates certain defenses such as ignorance of a child's age and stretches the age of victims from 12 to 14 years old.
“The traffickers can't claim, ‘Oh, I thought she was 15,’ … That's brilliant,” said Dymond.
When asked if these laws will help moving forward, Dymond said she thinks so.
"I hope so. Probably that person and their immediate circle of friends will go, 'Oh, they mean it,'" she said,
Three other laws also went into effect today to protect children. These include creating new registration requirements for convicted pedophiles, mandatory minimum prison terms, and beginning the removal of deepfake material online.
Here is a full breakdown of the five new laws protecting children from sex crimes Governor Ron DeSantis signed into legislation.
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.
