Porch piracy in the news !
Porch pirates are on the rise and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says ” In Florida we are not accepting that.”
Polk County is cracking down on porch pirates stealing items from house porches. The sheriff is asking for all the counties to do the same.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will increase penalties for retail theft throughout the state of Florida. He is seeking to prevent “smash and grab” thefts and porch piracy.
House bill 549 was signed by Gov DeSantis in Stuart , Florida on Tuesday, April 9.
Governor DeSantis says “they will be held accountable”.
With the ongoing issue Florida will now face a new Porch Pirate Law:
– items stolen less than $40 will be charged as a first degree misdemeanor.
-items stolen more than $40 will be charged as a third degree felony, punishable up to 5 years in prison.
The governor said the bill is part of his efforts to make Florida a “law and order state”.
A nationwide report from Security.org showed porch pirates stole $8 billion worth of packages from people front steps in 2023.
Porch pirates look for and hope that small packages contain expensive items that can be resold, such as phones, video game systems, sound systems or computers. These thieves can strike at any neighborhood at any time. All size packages are a target for porch pirates.
Porch pirates are hard to catch by local authorities. Now with this new bill signed if porch pirates are arrested they will face heavier criminal penalties.
How can you protect yourself from porch piracy?:
- Have a visible security camera on your porch
- Coordinate with neighbors
- Follow package tracking
- Require a signature for delivery
- Leave instructions to conceal the package when delivered
Taking these few extra steps will help bring you peace of mind in receiving your packages.
