“Revenge porn” bill signed into law by governor

A bill meant to crack down on posting sexually explicit photos of exes and former lovers by toughening the penalties was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.

Under SB 538, it is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and $1,000 the first time a person posts to a website an explicit image of another person without their permission. All subsequent offenses will rate a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Senate initially sought a tougher version of the bill, which would have included email, but the House passed a more lenient version of the measure that only applies to posting pictures on websites. It does not include social media sites. The Senate was unable to compromise the differences between the chambers because the House abruptly quit.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. David Simmons.