JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Attorney General announced a new push to crack down on organized retail theft during a news conference in Jacksonville on Friday.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Florida Retail Federation signed onto a memorandum of understanding to work together in the fight against organized retail theft.
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That effort includes the establishment of a new statewide task force made up of state prosecutors, local law enforcement, and retailers that aims to beef up enforcement and hold criminals accountable.
“These are not victimless crimes. It’s easy to think of retail theft in that way, but no you suffer. You suffer at the checkout line, prices go up when companies have to make up for the loss of stolen goods,” said Uthmeier.
Nationally, retail theft continues to increase, with the National Retail Federation finding an 18 percent increase in shoplifting between 2023 and 2024.
Over that same time, retailers reported a 17 percent spike in incidents involving threats and violence.
“While there’s a lot of debates about retail crime statistics, there’s no debate that this has gotten more brazen and more violent,” said Scott Shalley, President and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation.
Last year, Florida lawmakers made it easier for repeat shoplifters to face felony charges.
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In the past, to hit the $750 felony theft threshold, the total value of stolen items could only be aggregated over a 30-day span.
That’s now been extended to 120 days.
Leveraging those changes, state prosecutors have already secured 52 organized retail theft convictions just since February.
“We’re handing out long-term sentences to the slammer. We’re gonna put people away for a long time. We’re gonna send a message here in Florida, if you engage in crime, you are absolutely gonna pay for it,” said Uthmeier.
In addition to those convictions, state prosecutors currently have an additional 54 active cases filed involving 84 defendants.
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