FL S0402

Adds "political ideology" to Florida's hate crime statute as a protected category, alongside existing protections for race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status, and advanced age

Requires criminal offenses to be reclassified to a more serious degree when evidence shows the crime was motivated by prejudice against the victim's political ideology

Penalty enhancements include: second-degree misdemeanors become first-degree misdemeanors; first-degree misdemeanors become third-degree felonies; third-degree felonies become second-degree felonies; second-degree felonies become first-degree felonies; first-degree felonies become life felonies

Effective date: October 1, 2026