Use of Tracking Devices or Applications to Commit Dangerous Crimes:
HB 663 amends Florida’s law on the installation and use of tracking devices and tracking applications to create a higher criminal penalty when those tools are used to commit or facilitate a dangerous crime. The bill keeps the existing general prohibition on knowingly placing or using a tracker on another person or that person’s property without consent, but adds a new second-degree felony penalty for conduct tied to a “dangerous crime,” while the baseline violation remains a third-degree felony.
The bill also republishes the statute’s definitions and exceptions. It continues to exempt law enforcement acting in a criminal investigation, certain parents or legal guardians tracking a minor child, caregivers of elderly persons or disabled adults when a physician certifies the need for safety, persons acting in good faith for a legitimate business purpose, and certain vehicle owners or lessors using tracking devices on their own vehicles under specified conditions. It also clarifies when consent is presumed revoked, including after a divorce petition or when a protection injunction is filed.
The bill would amend section 934.425, Florida Statutes, by adding an enhanced penalty tier for tracker-related offenses connected to dangerous crimes, increasing potential punishment from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony in those cases. It would not broadly change the underlying prohibition on nonconsensual tracking, but it would expand criminal exposure for offenders whose conduct is linked to serious predicate offenses. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and affects individuals, law enforcement, family members, caregivers, businesses, and vehicle owners who use or install tracking technology.
The available context suggests the bill was generally favorable and noncontroversial, as it moved with a companion measure that ultimately passed in the Senate while the House bill was laid on the table. The absence of recorded committee debate or votes limits the ability to identify detailed support or opposition, but the bill’s focus on strengthening penalties for dangerous-crime-related tracking likely aligned with public-safety concerns. Overall, the legislative outcome indicates the policy was accepted in substance, even though the House vehicle itself did not advance separately.
The main policy issue is the increased penalty for using tracking devices or applications in connection with dangerous crimes, which raises the stakes for defendants and law enforcement. Potential areas of concern include how broadly “dangerous crime” is applied, whether the enhanced felony penalty is proportionate, and how the law interacts with legitimate uses of tracking technology in families, caregiving, business, and vehicle ownership. The bill’s exceptions appear designed to limit those concerns, especially for parents, guardians, caregivers, and businesses, but those carveouts could still be scrutinized for clarity and scope.