TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new bill in the Florida Legislature seeks to establish a new crime: indecent exposure of sexual organs to minors.
That bill — SB 1742 — was filed early last month by state Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Ft. Myers), and it would build on Florida’s existing indecent exposure law.
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The current law prohibits people from being naked in public or exposing their sexual organs to others “in a vulgar or indecent manner.”
These sorts of situations can be punished as first-degree misdemeanors, with follow-up violations constituting a third-degree felony.
However, Martin’s bill would make it a completely separate crime to do as much in front of children. Under SB 1742, people may not:
- Purposefully expose their sexual organs in a lewd manner while looking at a person under 16 years old to achieve sexual gratification
- Purposefully perform any sexual act that doesn’t involve actual physical contact with the minor while looking at someone under 16 years old to achieve sexual gratification
- This includes but isn’t limited to sadomasochistic abuse, sexual bestiality, masturbation, or the simulation of any act involving sexual activity
These acts under SB 1742 would automatically be treated as a third-degree felony, which can be punished with up to $5,000 in fines and five years in prison.
The new crime replaces another Florida law, which more broadly forbids any “unnatural and lascivious act with another person.” That crime can only be punished as a second-degree misdemeanor, though.
So far, the bill passed its second committee on Wednesday by a unanimous vote. As such, it has one more committee to get through before it can go to a full Senate vote.
Regardless, if the bill ends up getting approved and signed into law, it will take effect on Oct. 1.