Republican Governor DeSantis Signed 5 Bills Protecting Children

Yay this is great news for Floridians. 👏 I wish California had a Governor that cared about Californians.Show more

Tampa Bay news 4/10/24: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a handful of bills aimed at keeping kids safe from sexual predators.

During a news conference Wednesday at The Urban Stillhouse in St. Pete, the governor gave final approval to five bills. Here's what each of them do:

HB 1545: Child Exploitation Offenses

This bill specifically cracks down on the "grooming" of minors that happens online, DeSantis said.

It increases the penalties for child exploitation charges and creates a new offense of "Harmful Communication to a Minor" within Florida's criminal code.

If convicted of the crime, prosecutors would have to prove that the suspect engaged in a "pattern of communication to a minor that includes explicit and detailed" descriptions of sexual activity or "excitement."

"The fact of the matter is with the rise of the internet and social media and all these different apps that has been a playground for these predators to go in and groom these young kids," the governor said. "This whole online stuff is a major, major cesspool and even the most diligent parent is not gonna be able to do it alone."