STUART, Fla. (WSVN)— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new legislation cracking down on thieves, including porch pirates.
The governor was in Stuart, Florida, on Tuesday to send a strong message to potential retail thieves and porch pirates.
“They will be held accountable,” said DeSantis.
House Bill 549 stiffens penalties for thieves, especially those who come on people’s property to take packages, known as porch pirates.
“You have a cottage industry of porch piracy where people will steal packages from someone’s front porch,” said DeSantis.
The law’s new penalties for porch pirates include:
- Making theft of property in an amount less than $40 is a first-degree misdemeanor.
- A subsequent violation is a third-degree felony.
- Theft of property valued at $40 or more is a third-degree felony.
7News has reported at length on thefts that took away people’s sense of security, along with their items.
“I had several packages stolen from my front door,” said Miami resident Myron Roberts.
Some video shows packages being scooped up in seconds.
Back in May of 2023, in Northwest Miami-Dade, two women made off with two large packages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in broad daylight.
“This makes me feel very upset, that that they felt like it was OK to just walk on your property,” said resident Kiana Jackson.
But the thieves aren’t just targeting personal items. Small business owners who depend on delivery to function are also impacted by the thieves.
“I run a company called Urban Troos. It’s a really fine designer pillow decor brand,” said business owner Hannah Gardner.
Thieves in Dania Beach set Gardner’s business back a month in production and $20,000 in the hole.
“We would love for you to return thousands of dollars of inventory that absolutely has no value to you,” said Gardner.
The new law aims to make criminals think twice.
“This is not the place to do it, and if you try to do it in Florida, you are going to regret that you tried to do it in Florida,” said DeSantis.
The law goes into effect on Oct. 1.
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