summary
Introduced
01/07/2026
01/07/2026
In Committee
01/12/2026
01/12/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to offenses evidencing prejudice; amending s. 775.085, F.S.; expanding grounds for the reclassification of offenses to include acts based on the gender or gender identity of any person; specifying that the reclassification must occur if the offense was based in whole or in part on specified characteristics of any person; providing and revising definitions; providing that it is an essential element of a certain offense that the defendant perceived, knew, or had reasonable grounds to know or perceive that a person was included in a certain class of person; amending s. 775.0863, F.S.; replacing the term "mental or physical disability" with the term "disability"; revising the definition of such term; specifying that the reclassification of a certain offense must occur if the offense was based in whole or in part on a disability of any person; providing penalties; amending s. 817.034; replacing the term "mental or physical disability" with the term "disability"; reclassifying certain offenses committed against a person with a disability; amending s. 877.19, F.S.; expanding the data the Governor is required to collect and disseminate to include specified incidents; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill expands existing Florida law to include gender and gender identity as protected characteristics for hate crime enhancements, meaning that crimes motivated by prejudice against a person's gender or gender identity will be subject to increased penalties, similar to crimes motivated by race, religion, or sexual orientation. It also revises the definition of "disability" to be a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities, and clarifies that crimes motivated by prejudice based on this broader definition of disability will also receive enhanced penalties. Furthermore, the bill requires the Governor to collect and disseminate data on hate crimes that evidence prejudice based on gender and gender identity, in addition to existing categories like race and religion. The bill also makes it an essential element of these offenses that the defendant knew or should have known about the victim's protected characteristic.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version) (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1117 |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1117/BillText/Filed/PDF |
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