STUART, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday morning signed new Florida legislation that will increase penalties for shoplifters and people who steal packages from outside homes.
Across the country, some stores said they are closing and limiting what they put on the shelves, or raising prices due to shoplifting.
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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 will 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 passed the law that will 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.
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Another new law will 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.