SESSION WATCH
Died SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. SB 1688

Penalties for Prostitution and Related Acts
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SPONSOR
Leek
FILED BY
Thomas J. Leek — District 7, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
10/1/2026
DIED IN
Criminal Justice

Filed under Healthcare.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Penalties for Prostitution and Related Acts; Revising penalties and criminal penalties for certain offenses, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Makes a second prostitution-related offense a felony for most violations.

For most prostitution-related violations, a second offense jumps from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, and a third or later offense rises from a third-degree to a second-degree felony.

This general penalty increase covers buying sex, aiding or abetting prostitution, and owning or operating a place used for it, unless the specific offense falls under two carved-out paragraphs of the law.

Whatever offenses fall under those two carved-out paragraphs get the opposite treatment: penalties for those violations drop instead of rise, moving in the reverse direction of every other violation in the same statute.

Also removes the existing offer of a pretrial intervention or substance abuse program for people charged with a third or later violation, and updates felony citations that trigger automatic license suspension for health care practitioners and massage therapists.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Raises most repeat prostitution-offense penalties to felony level majors. 796.07(4)

AIFor violations other than two carved-out paragraphs of the law, a second offense jumps from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, and a third or later offense rises from a third-degree to a second-degree felony.

“A felony of the third degree for a second violation”
§ 2 Lowers penalties for offenses under two specific carved-out paragraphs majors. 796.07(5)

AIFor whatever conduct falls under paragraphs (2)(e) and (2)(g), penalties move the opposite way: a second offense drops from a felony to a misdemeanor, and a third or later offense drops from a second-degree to a third-degree felony.

“A felony of the third degree for a third or subsequent violation, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.”
§ 3 Eliminates the pretrial intervention offer for repeat offenders majors. 796.07(4)

AIPeople charged with a third or later violation no longer have a guaranteed offer of admission to a pretrial intervention or substance abuse treatment program; that option is removed outright, not replaced with anything.

“shall be offered admission to a pretrial intervention program or a substance abuse treatment program as provided in s. 948.08.” bill text, line 56 →
§ 4 Pushes repeat violations at unlicensed massage businesses to a first-degree felony majors. 796.07(7)

AIWhen the place used for prostitution is a massage establishment that is or should be licensed, a third or later violation is bumped one more degree above the already-raised general-track penalty, reaching a first-degree felony.

“A felony of the second degree for a third or subsequent violation is reclassified as a felony of the first degree”
§ 5 Reassigns which paragraphs get the separate penalty track moderates. 796.07(4)

AIThe paragraph singled out for the separate penalty track changes from just (2)(f) alone to both (2)(e) and (2)(g), meaning the specific conduct covered by the harsher and lighter tracks is not the same as before.

“other than paragraph (2)(e) or paragraph (2)(g)” bill text, line 46 →
§ 6 Updates felony citations that trigger license suspension moderates. 456.074

AIBecause the felony degree for a third or later general-track violation changes from third-degree to second-degree, the citations that trigger emergency license suspension for health care practitioners and massage therapists are updated to match.

“relating to a felony of the second degree for a third or subsequent violation of s. 796.07, relating to prohibiting prostitution and related acts.”
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Criminal Justice
1/22/2026
Introduced
1/16/2026
Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Criminal...
1/9/2026
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 796.07
+37 / −68
s. 456.074
+4 / −4
s. 480.041
+2 / −2