Have you been arrested, or received a notice to appear or citation, for petit theft? If so, you will soon need to be even more careful how your case is resolved due to a recent proposal to strengthen Florida laws concerning theft crimes.
Up until now, persons committing petit theft in Florida generally did not have to worry about going to jail or prison for their offense. But earlier this week Governor Ron DeSantis announced proposed legislation aimed at slowing the increasing numbers of retail theft and porch piracy throughout the country. According to Governor DeSantis, retailers nationwide lost $112 billion to retail theft, with notable increases in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
“If you commit a crime in Florida, you are going to be held accountable,” Governed DeSantis warned. “We will not tolerate retail crime, porch pirates and the lawlessness that they allow in California and New York.” Continue reading