SB 1388FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead

Proposed Changes to Florida Hate Crime Laws

Original title: Offenses Evidencing Prejudice

March 13, 2026

hate crimes criminal justice gender identity disability rights legislation

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The Frame

What this does

The bill would have increased criminal penalties for offenses motivated by prejudice against specific groups and created new reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies across the state.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Law enforcement agencies

They would have been required to report monthly to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding specific hate crime incidents.

Individuals with disabilities

The bill would have updated the legal definition of disability and expanded the scope of hate crime protections related to disability.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals

The bill would have added gender identity as a protected characteristic for the purpose of hate crime penalty reclassification.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have expanded Florida's hate crime laws to include offenses based on gender identity and updated definitions for disability, advanced age, and homelessness. It also would have required the state to collect and report data on these specific types of criminal incidents.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a hate crime reclassification?

Under this bill, it means that if a crime is motivated by prejudice against a protected group, the penalty is increased (e.g., a second-degree misdemeanor becomes a first-degree misdemeanor).

Did this bill become law?

No, the bill died in the Criminal Justice Committee on March 13, 2026.

What new groups would have been protected?

The bill specifically sought to add gender identity to the list of protected characteristics for hate crime .

Why It Matters

The bill would have increased criminal penalties for offenses motivated by prejudice against specific groups and created new reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies across the state.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Expansion of Hate Crime Protections

The bill represented a clear attempt to broaden the scope of Florida's hate crime statutes to include gender identity and modernize disability definitions.

Florida Legislature