Part ofCriminal Justice →

SB 402FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead

High Impact

Proposed Changes to Hate Crime Sentencing Laws

Original title: Offenses Evidencing Prejudice

March 13, 2026

Criminal Justice Hate Crimes Political Ideology Sentencing

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The Frame

What this does

If enacted, this change would subject individuals convicted of crimes motivated by a victim's political beliefs to significantly longer prison sentences and higher-level felony classifications, effectively treating these acts as hate crimes.

Who is mentioned in the record

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

Criminal defendants

Individuals convicted of crimes motivated by a victim's political ideology face mandatory reclassification to more severe offense levels.

Victims of crime

Individuals targeted for crimes based on their political ideology would be covered under the enhanced sentencing protections of the statute.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Background

The bill was introduced in the 2026 legislative session but failed to advance out of the Criminal Justice committee. context

Summary

This bill would increase the severity of criminal penalties for offenses motivated by the victim's political ideology. It expands existing state law that currently allows for harsher sentencing when a crime is committed based on factors like race, religion, or sexual orientation.

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.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to 'reclassify' an offense?

means the severity level of a crime is increased, which results in harsher potential penalties, such as longer prison terms or higher fines.

Does this bill apply to all crimes?

The bill applies to any felony or where the commission of the offense evidences prejudice based on the victim's political ideology.

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 Protected Classes

The bill represents a shift toward including ideological identity alongside traditional protected characteristics like race and religion in hate crime statutes.

Florida Legislature

Connected Entities

otherSection 775.085, Florida Statutes“The existing state law governing the reclassification of offenses evidencing pre”Map →

organizationFlorida Legislature“The legislative body responsible for enacting the proposed amendments to state s”Map →

bill_numberSB 402“The primary legislative vehicle for the proposed changes.”Map →

date2026“The legislative session year for the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy90
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz40
Current news / social attention level

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