Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1451 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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10	10		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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	14	+	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15		An act relating to sexual cyberharassment; amending s. 2
16	16		784.049, F.S.; revising legislative findings; revising 3
17	17		definitions; revising requirements for an enhanced 4
18	18		penalty for a second or subsequent conviction; 5
19	19		prohibiting violations for pecuniary or any other 6
20	20		financial gain; providing criminal penalties; 7
21	21		providing for award of punitive damages in civil 8
22	22		actions; amending s. 775.15, F.S.; providing statute 9
23	23		of limitations for prosecution of a sexual 10
24	24		cyberharassment offense; amending s. 98.0751, F.S.; 11
25	25		revising the definition of "felony sexual offense" for 12
26	26		purposes of voting rights restoration to include new 13
27	27		offenses created in this act; providing an effective 14
28	28		date. 15
29	29		16
30	30		Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
31	31		18
32	32		Section 1. Section 784.049, Florida Statutes, is amended 19
33	33		to read: 20
34	34		784.049 Sexual cyberharassment. — 21
35	35		(1) The Legislature finds that: 22
36	36		(a) A person depicted in a sexually explicit image taken 23
37	37		with the person's consent may retain a reasonable expectation 24
38	38		that the image will remain private despite sharing the image 25
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47	47		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51		with another person, such as an intimate partner . 26
52	52		(b) It is becoming a common practice for persons to 27
53	53		publish a sexually explicit image of another to Internet 28
54	54		websites or to disseminate such an image through electronic 29
55	55		means without the depicted person's consent, contrary to the 30
56	56		depicted person's reasonable expectation of privacy , for no 31
57	57		legitimate purpose, with the intent of causing substantial 32
58	58		emotional distress to the depicted person . 33
59	59		(c) When such images are published on Internet websites, 34
60	60		the images are able to be viewed indefinitely by persons 35
61	61		worldwide and are able to be easily reproduced and shared. 36
62	62		(d) The publication or dissemination of such images 37
63	63		through the use of Internet websites or electronic means creates 38
64	64		a permanent record of the depicted person's private nudity or 39
65	65		private sexually explicit conduct. 40
66	66		(e) The existence of such images on Internet websites or 41
67	67		the dissemination of such images without the consent of all 42
68	68		parties depicted in the images causes those depicted in such 43
69	69		images significant psychological harm. 44
70	70		(f) Safeguarding the psychological well -being and privacy 45
71	71		interests of persons depicted in such imag es is compelling. 46
72	72		(2) As used in this section, the term: 47
73	73		(a) "Image" includes, but is not limited to, any 48
74	74		photograph, picture, motion picture, film, video, or 49
75	75		representation. 50
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84	84		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88		(b) "Personal identification information" means any 51
89	89		information that identi fies a person an individual, and 52
90	90		includes, but is not limited to, any name, postal or electronic 53
91	91		mail address, telephone number, social security number, date of 54
92	92		birth, or any unique physical representation. 55
93	93		(c) "Sexually cyberharass" means to intentionally publish 56
94	94		to an Internet website or intentionally disseminate through 57
95	95		electronic means to another person a sexually explicit image of 58
96	96		a person that contains or conveys the personal identification 59
97	97		information of the depicted person without the depicted person's 60
98	98		consent and, contrary to the depicted person's reasonable 61
99	99		expectation that the image would remain private if: 62
100	100		1. The image contains or conveys the personal 63
101	101		identification information of the depicted person; or 64
102	102		2. The personal identific ation information of the depicted 65
103	103		person is not contained or conveyed in the image itself, but is 66
104	104		contemporaneously published or disseminated in such a manner 67
105	105		that a person viewing the personal identification information 68
106	106		would reasonably know that such inf ormation directly relates to 69
107	107		the person depicted in the sexually explicit image , for no 70
108	108		legitimate purpose, with the intent of causing substantial 71
109	109		emotional distress to the depicted person . 72
110	110		73
111	111		Evidence that the depicted person sent a sexually explicit image 74
112	112		to another person does not, on its own, remove his or her 75
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125	125		reasonable expectation of privacy for that image. 76
126	126		(d) "Sexually explicit image" means any image depicting 77
127	127		nudity, as defined in s. 847.001, or depicting a person engaging 78
128	128		in sexual conduct, as de fined in s. 847.001, or depicting the 79
129	129		display of semen or vaginal secretion on a person . 80
130	130		(3)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) or subsection 81
131	131		(4), a person who willfully and maliciously sexually 82
132	132		cyberharasses another person commits a misdemeanor of t he first 83
133	133		degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 84
134	134		(b) A person who has one prior conviction for sexual 85
135	135		cyberharassment and who commits a second or subsequent sexual 86
136	136		cyberharassment commits a felony of the third degree, punishable 87
137	137		as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 88
138	138		(4)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a person who 89
139	139		violates this section for the purpose of pecuniary or any other 90
140	140		financial gain commits a felony of the third degree, punishable 91
141	141		as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 92
142	142		(b) A person who commits a second or subsequent violation 93
143	143		of this subsection commits a felony of the second degree, 94
144	144		punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 95
145	145		(5) For purposes of this section, th e term "conviction" 96
146	146		means a determination of guilt that is the result of a plea or a 97
147	147		trial, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld or a plea 98
148	148		of nolo contendere is entered. 99
149	149		(6)(4)(a) A law enforcement officer may arrest, without a 100
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158	158		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162		warrant, any person that he or she has probable cause to believe 101
163	163		has violated this section. 102
164	164		(b) Upon proper affidavits being made, a search warrant 103
165	165		may be issued to further investigate violations of this section, 104
166	166		including warrants issued to search a private dwelling. 105
167	167		(7)(5) An aggrieved person may initiate a civil action 106
168	168		against a person who violates this section to obtain all 107
169	169		appropriate relief in order to prevent or remedy a violation of 108
170	170		this section, including the following: 109
171	171		(a) Injunctive relief. 110
172	172		(b) Monetary damages to include $10,000 or actual damages 111
173	173		incurred as a result of a violation of this section, whichever 112
174	174		is greater. 113
175	175		(c) Punitive damages. 114
176	176		(d)(c) Reasonable attorney fees and costs. 115
177	177		(8)(6) The criminal and civil penalties of this section do 116
178	178		not apply to: 117
179	179		(a) A provider of an interactive computer service as 118
180	180		defined in 47 U.S.C. s. 230(f), information service as defined 119
181	181		in 47 U.S.C. s. 153, or communications service as defined in s. 120
182	182		202.11, that provides the transmission, storage, or caching of 121
183	183		electronic communications or messages of others; other related 122
184	184		telecommunications or commercial mobile radio service; or 123
185	185		content provided by another person; or 124
186	186		(b) A law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10, or 125
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195	195		F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199	199		any local, state, federal, or milita ry law enforcement agency, 126
200	200		that publishes or disseminates a sexually explicit image in 127
201	201		connection with the performance of his or her duties as a law 128
202	202		enforcement officer, or law enforcement agency. 129
203	203		(9)(7) A violation of this section is committed within 130
204	204		this state if any conduct that is an element of the offense, or 131
205	205		any harm to the depicted person resulting from the offense, 132
206	206		occurs within this state. 133
207	207		Section 2. Subsection (22) is added to section 775.15, 134
208	208		Florida Statutes, to read: 135
209	209		775.15 Time limitati ons; general time limitations; 136
210	210		exceptions.— 137
211	211		(22)(a) A prosecution for a misdemeanor violation of s. 138
212	212		784.049 must be commenced within 5 years after the commission of 139
213	213		the offense or within 3 years after the date the victim 140
214	214		discovers the offense, whichever is later. 141
215	215		(b) A prosecution for a felony violation of s. 784.049 142
216	216		must be commenced within 7 years after the commission of the 143
217	217		offense or within 3 years after the date the victim discovers 144
218	218		the offense, whichever is later. 145
219	219		Section 3. Paragraph (b) of s ubsection (2) of section 146
220	220		98.0751, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 147
221	221		98.0751 Restoration of voting rights; termination of 148
222	222		ineligibility subsequent to a felony conviction. — 149
223	223		(2) For purposes of this section, the term: 150
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236	236		(b) "Felony sexual offense" means any of the following: 151
237	237		1. Any felony offense that serves as a predicate to 152
238	238		registration as a sexual offender in accordance with s. 153
239	239		943.0435; 154
240	240		2. Section 491.0112; 155
241	241		3. Section 784.049(3)(b) or (4); 156
242	242		4. Section 794.08; 157
243	243		5. Section 796.08; 158
244	244		6. Section 800.101; 159
245	245		7. Section 826.04; 160
246	246		8. Section 847.012; 161
247	247		9. Section 872.06(2); 162
248	248		10. Section 944.35(3)(b)2.; 163
249	249		11. Section 951.221(1); or 164
250	250		12. Any similar offense committed in another jurisdiction 165
251	251		which would be an offense listed in this paragraph if it had 166
252	252		been committed in violation of the laws of this state. 167
253	253		Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2025. 168