FL H0777

Creates s. 787.001, F.S., establishing that ignorance of a victim's age, misrepresentation of a victim's age, and a bona fide belief about a victim's age are not defenses to offenses under chapter 787 where the victim's age is an element of the crime, with an exception for s. 787.30

Raises the victim age threshold for luring or enticing a child offenses from under 12 to under 14 years old, and expands the prohibited conduct to include luring a child out of (in addition to into) a structure, dwelling, or conveyance for other than a lawful purpose

Increases penalties for luring or enticing a child: a first offense is reclassified from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony; a second or subsequent offense and offenses by those with prior sex crime convictions are reclassified from third-degree felonies to second-degree felonies

Adds the new luring or enticing offenses to the Criminal Punishment Code offense severity ranking chart, placing the first offense (s. 787.025(2)(a)) at Level 6 and the second/subsequent offense and prior-sex-crime-conviction offense (s. 787.025(2)(b) and (c)) at Level 7

Effective October 1, 2025