By State Attorney Suzy Lopez
The holidays should be a season of giving, not taking. But as sales soar during the holidays, so does retail theft, and retail theft has become big business for thieves. The state attorney’s office is focused on ensuring that criminals are held accountable for theft from both small business owners and large retailers. Some recently expanded laws will help to strengthen the penalties for those criminals who make their living through shoplifting, which drives up prices for consumers.
According to the most recent statistics available, Florida businesses lost 5.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2022 from retail theft alone. Since then, lawmakers have been searching for ways to combat this type of crime. In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law into effect that stiffens penalties for organized retail theft. Where thieves are working in concert to steal or are engaged in a pattern of theft targeting businesses, charges can be enhanced from a misdemeanor to a felony, or, if already at a felony level, the penalties can be increased. This means if convicted, thieves can face more jail time.
Our office also works closely with local law enforcement partners to crack down on retail theft rings. These crimes cost local business owners thousands of dollars each year and can lead to lost wages, fewer jobs, higher prices for consumers and even a slower economy. By properly utilizing the new laws targeting organized retail crime and aggressively prosecuting those responsible for retail theft rings, we can create a deterrent for those looking to steal not only during the holidays but also all year round.
While our local law enforcement partners are important, we also meet with local business owners and loss prevention specialists to learn more about how we can help stop retail theft. Our office has participated in store walks to learn more about loss prevention tactics. Our attorneys share ideas with store owners about how to deter crime as well as offer guidance about how to help us build the best cases possible for prosecution.
While you may only see our office’s most high-profile criminal cases on the local news, please know that we take retail theft incredibly seriously. We know that theft impacts real people and their families. When we work together with our business owners and law enforcement partners, we can make our economy stronger and our community safer.
