Florida is taking a strong stand against retail theft and “porch piracy.” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would crack down on criminals participating in shoplifting rings and engaging in other types of property crime. While doing so, he took some shots at California and New York for going easy on those committing these offenses.

Amid widespread retail theft occurring across the nation, state and local governments are grappling with putting a stop to these operations while others are simply responding with a shrug. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis announced the signing of the bill, that would “increase penalties for retail theft, porch piracy, and using social media to incite looting” while pointing out that “many leftist jurisdictions are enacting policies that ignore retail theft or even encourage it.” 

Today I signed HB 549, which will increase penalties for retail theft, porch piracy, and using social media to incite looting.

Many leftist jurisdictions are enacting policies that ignore retail theft or even encourage it. Those policies are dead on arrival in Florida. We catch… pic.twitter.com/exnK4SHaXh

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 9, 2024

Those policies are dead on arrival in Florida. We catch criminals and prosecute them.

During a press conference held on the same day, DeSantis railed against California and New York’s policies.

You look at a place like California, they passed Proposition 47 that allows people that commit retail theft to be charged with misdemeanor, even if it had traditionally been a felony. That means they get numerous retail theft offenses. Did they get held accountable? No, they get a slap on the wrist. You look at New York, they eliminated cash bail for many offenses, including offenses for retail theft, so that now you can only get a felony theft charge if you steal more than $1,000 worth of merchandise; anything less, you get a desk appearance ticket that has caused people to loot stores and do $999 worth of looting. And then they leave knowing that they're not going to be held accountable.

Retail theft is a growing problem in the United States and has even resulted in big box stores shutting down in certain locations due to rampant crime.

Retail theft has become a significant issue across the nation, intensified by social media-organized looting incidents and resulting in substantial losses for retailers amounting to $112 billion in 2022 alone, according to DeSantis.

Notably, jurisdictions like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have experienced sharp increases in theft, a news release from the governor’s office stated.

However, DeSantis confirmed since he assumed office, Florida has witnessed a notable 30 percent decrease in shoplifting incidents.

The new legislation increases punishments for those caught committing these crimes.

HB 549 introduces several key provisions to address these issues, which you can read here:

Retail theft committed by five or more individuals becomes a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

If social media is used to incite others to participate in retail theft involving five or more individuals, it escalates to a second-degree felony, carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.

Retail theft involving a firearm or multiple prior convictions is classified as a first-degree felony, with a maximum sentence of 30 years.

The window for charging multiple retail thefts as a felony is extended to 120 days, up from 30 days.

Furthermore, the bill also increases penalties for porch piracy:

Theft of property valued under $40 is considered a first-degree misdemeanor.

Subsequent violations escalate to a third-degree felony.

Theft of property valued at $40 or more is classified as a third-degree felony.

This is the right move on Florida’s part. Shoplifting, porch piracy, and looting are all violations of our right to property, and the government should play an active role in making sure it does not happen.

Misguided folks on the left seem to believe that going easy on those who commit these types of crimes is a valid way to reform the criminal justice system. Sure, there are reforms that need to be made. However, allowing people to violate the rights of others is not one of them.