In 2011, Florida lawmakers made sure young people who sent racy pictures to each other via cellphone wouldn’t be labeled sex offenders.
But they may have inadvertently made sexting a crime that can’t be punished.
An appellate judge in West Palm Beach last month pointed out that the 2011 law makes sexting a noncriminal violation for first-time offenders — and that no court in Florida has jurisdiction over civil offenses for minors.
Sen. Joseph Abruzzo, a Wellington Democrat who carried the sexting bill in 2011, said he plans to propose a fix.
"It's important to get the law on the books correctly," Abruzzo said Tuesday.
Comments