‘We will catch you and we will prosecute you’: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is cracking down on retail theft – how he’ll ‘distinguish’ the state from ‘lawless jurisdictions’

The Republican governor said the new law will “distinguish” Florida from “lawless jurisdictions” like California and New York, where organized retail crime is out of control and thieves are running rampant.

“You see stores closing down in different parts of the U.S.,” DeSantis said in a press conference about the hardline anti-theft bill. “Whether that’s Target closing nine stores in Portland and Seattle, Walmart closing stores in Chicago, Nordstrom closing stores in San Francisco.

“That is a direct result of a lack of commitment to the rule of law and holding criminals accountable. We’re not going to do that in the state of Florida. We’re going to make sure that our retailers are able to sell products, that consumers are able to benefit and that people are held accountable when they break the law.”

Retail theft costs consumers

Organized retail crime has grown so out of control in many parts of the U.S. that stores are resorting to desperate measures — like locking up everyday items, boarding up windows and hiring extra security guards — to stem their losses and protect their staff and consumers.

Retail theft losses ballooned to $112.1 billion in 2022, up 19% from $93.9 billion the year before, according to the 2023 National Retail Security Survey, released in September 2023 by the Loss Prevention Research Council and the National Retail Federation.

Not only is this criminal trend hurting the retail industry, it’s impacting consumers, says DeSantis.

“That has an impact on you as a consumer because the prices will go up to reflect those stolen goods — that’s just basic business,” he said. “If [companies] are not able to sell those goods, if those are losses, they’ve got to find a way to compensate, so you end up seeing rising prices when you go into the store.