Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three bills into law that aim to enhance the protection of children against sexual crimes and one bill that targets nonconsensual altered photos, also known as AI deepfakes.
In a visit to Jacksonville Tuesday, DeSantis also committed to signing another sex-offender-related bill in the upcoming days. Standing at a podium marked with a "Law & Order" sign, the governor said he sees Florida as a hallmark of what states should do in protecting children.
"We've done more in the state of Florida to protect the innocence of our kids than any state in these United States," he said.
He cited a law that banned instruction on gender and sexuality in schools from kindergarten to third grade and the state's recently created Office of Parental Rights as markers for Florida's success.
The bills presented at Tuesday's press conference, however, deal with other matters.
What's becoming law
DeSantis signed three bills and committed to signing one more bill in the coming days. All go into effect October 1, 2025.
House Bill 777 will add harsher penalties to luring and enticing children. Offenses were elevated from misdemeanors to felony charges. House Bill 1351 adds reporting requirements for sexual predators and offenders – including in-state travel.
Another bill DeSantis signed, House Bill 1455, will require minimum sentences for specific offenses when committed by a registered sexual offender. The governor said imprisoning sexual predators was the only way he could see the state truly keeping children safe from them.
"The only thing that really, really guarantees the safety of the children is to find every last dadgum predator and put them in jail," he said.
DeSantis also committed to signing Senate Bill 1804 that establishes a new felony offense. "Human trafficking of vulnerable persons for sexual exploitation" is the charge, and the penalties include life in prison and the death penalty.
A battle against AI
The final bill DeSantis signed was House Bill 1161. Dubbed "Brooke's Law," it will require platforms that primarily host user-made content to have a process that lets people report nonconsensual altered images of themselves. Altered images include deepfakes and other AI generated depictions of people.
A social media network like Instagram would then need to remove the content within 48 hours of a valid request.
The law is named after a former Jacksonville mayor's 18-year-old daughter, Brooke Curry, who had a deepfake pornographic image of her posted to a Snapchat story. She said the legislation will act as a guide for others who may fall victim to altered images.
"You have a voice, and now thanks to this law, you have a path forward," she said.
The law does not prevent the image from being generated and shared, however. DeSantis said the technology moves faster than the legislature and wants more ways of regulating AI while embracing its strengths.
"They can have you, depict you doing awful things," he said. "That's not the world we want to live in."
The United States House passed a version of President Donald Trump's budget bill that would keep states from regulating AI for 10 years.
Platforms have until December 31, 2025, to establish the report functionality required by House Bill 1161.
Copyright 2025 Central Florida Public Media
