Governor Ron DeSantis signs legislation to protect children from predatory grooming

St. Petersburg, FL — Governor Ron DeSantis wants to enhance and create additional criminal punishments for abusing children through grooming or other sexual offenses.

DeSantis signed five bills into law, which provide law enforcement with more tools to keep children safe and ensure sexual predators and offenders are punished to the fullest extent.

“In Florida, we let kids be kids, and we protect children from those who seek to harm them,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today’s anti-grooming legislation punishes those who seek to prey on children and rob them of their innocence. Florida will continue to be the best state in the country to raise a family.”

DeSantis signed the following pieces of legislation into law:

• HB 1545: Protects children from grooming activities and other sexual offenses.
• HB 1131: Establishes a grant program within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create online sting operations to target sexual predators.
• HB 1235: Creates stricter guidelines for sex offender registration.
• SB 1224: Strengthens the role of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office and implements new training requirements to ensure law enforcement properly assesses a domestic violence situation.
• HB 305: Expands the evidence that can be presented to a jury in sex-abuse cases where the victim is a minor and increases penalties on those who take part in sex trafficking of minors.

Watch the full press conference below:

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