STUART, Fla. — Two new Florida laws taking effect October 1 will impose tougher penalties on adults who exploit children.
House Bill 1525 makes it a third-degree felony for indecent exposure or non-contact sexual acts performed in front of a minor under 16, even if the child was unaware of or did not see the act. Child advocates say the law addresses a loophole that has been used in the defense of lewd or lascivious behavior.
Watch report from Cassandra Garcia
Sarah Marie Henry, executive director of Catch the Wave of Hope and an expert in child exploitation, said the change is significant.
"Now, this is closing that loophole which is really great because whether a child was fully aware or sleeping or not it is obviously really unsafe behavior to do around a child," Henry said.
House Bill 559 makes it a third-degree felony for someone 18 or older to force or entice a minor to commit animal cruelty. The law also penalizes an adult who performs animal cruelty in front of a minor.
"We love to see that because we know and we agree that children of course especially in cases like this should not be involved or coerced to do these types of things," Henry said.
While Henry commends Florida lawmakers for the steps taken to protect children, she said emerging threats still need to be addressed.
"I think we're going to see a lot more of it to come especially when we're talking about the AI side and the deep fakes and the progression of this child sexual abuse material that is out there," Henry said.
Both laws are among more than a dozen set to take effect in Florida on October 1.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
