Republicans propose enhancing charges for organized ‘smash-and-grab’ retail theft

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Two Republican lawmakers are doing what they can to discourage mass retail theft in the Sunshine State.

The videos, shown on social media platforms and nightly newscasts, are hard to miss: a large number of masked people sow chaos as they invade a store, smash displays and make off with valuable goods.

How often these “flash mobs” have been striking is hard to quantify, as they are classified in different ways among various jurisdictions, National Public Radio reports. Also, “organized retail theft” is not currently a category in the state’s uniform crime reporting.

The most common footage comes from California and Philadelphia. But Republicans Sen. Blaise Ingoglia of Spring Hill and Rep. Bob Rommel of Naples filed identical bills in Florida (SB 824, HB 549) that would lower the threshold for felony charges involving retail theft.

As it is now, retail theft classified as a third-degree felony must involve lifting property valued at $750 or more or committed five times within a 30-day period involving 10 or more items.

The bill proposes to classify any sort of retail theft, committed with five or more other people as a felony, also. Also, the felony charge could be applied if three incidents, dropped from five of them, occurred within a year (expanded from a 30-day threshold) if it involved 10 or more items stolen.

A smash-and-grab at Cash America Pawn in Broward County caught on camera earlier this year doesn’t meet the five-person threshold, but a trio that burst in and smashed a case appears to have stolen more than 10 items.

“Large-scale, smash-and-grab retail theft is a plague on businesses across America.” Ingoglia said. “Often organized online, they involve a blatant disregard for private property. This is not California.”

The bill’s language specifically singles out incidents that aim to overwhelm a retail establishment’s security. The problem is likely aggravated by another aspect of America’s online life. The Internet has expanded the number of outlets for selling stolen goods.

But Ingoglia and Rommel are undeterred.

“The state of Florida is a law and order state that will not stand for such criminal actions and will prosecute the crooks to the fullest extent of the law,” a prepared statement from Ingoglia reads

The bill calls for including requiring the guilty to pay businesses back not only the cost of what was stolen, but also making good on what was damaged during the pandemonium.

“In many cities across America, we have seen flash mobs steal products, cause millions of dollars in damage and even cause owners to close their business,” Rommel said. “If they try that in Florida, they will go to jail. If you are the person sending out the order on social media, you will be just as guilty as the criminals stealing and destroying.”