CS/CS/HB 29

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to the unlawful use of utility services;
3amending s. 812.14, F.S.; providing that prima facie
4evidence of a person's or entity's intent to unlawfully
5use utility services exists under certain circumstances;
6providing penalties; providing that theft of utility
7services for the purpose of manufacturing a controlled
8substance is a third-degree felony; providing for prima
9facie evidence of intent to commit theft of utility
10services for the purpose of manufacturing a controlled
11substance; providing an effective date.
12
13Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15     Section 1.  Section 812.14, Florida Statutes, is amended to
16read:
17     812.14  Trespass and larceny with relation to utility
18fixtures; theft of utility services.--
19     (1)  As used in this section, "utility" includes any
20person, firm, corporation, association, or political
21subdivision, whether private, municipal, county, or cooperative,
22which is engaged in the sale, generation, provision, or delivery
23of gas, electricity, heat, water, oil, sewer service, telephone
24service, telegraph service, radio service, or telecommunication
25service.
26     (2)  It is unlawful to:
27     (a)  Willfully alter, tamper with, injure, or knowingly
28suffer to be injured any meter, meter seal, pipe, conduit, wire,
29line, cable, transformer, amplifier, or other apparatus or
30device belonging to a utility line service in such a manner as
31to cause loss or damage or to prevent any meter installed for
32registering electricity, gas, or water from registering the
33quantity which otherwise would pass through the same; or to
34alter the index or break the seal of any such meter; or in any
35way to hinder or interfere with the proper action or just
36registration of any such meter or device; or knowingly to use,
37waste, or suffer the waste, by any means, of electricity or gas
38or water passing through any such meter, wire, pipe, or fitting,
39or other appliance or appurtenance connected with or belonging
40to any such utility, after such meter, wire, pipe or fitting, or
41other appliance or appurtenance has been tampered with, injured,
42or altered.
43     (b)  Make or cause to be made any connection with any wire,
44main, service pipe or other pipes, appliance, or appurtenance in
45such manner as to use, without the consent of the utility, any
46service or any electricity, gas, or water, or to cause to be
47supplied any service or electricity, gas, or water from a
48utility to any person, firm, or corporation or any lamp, burner,
49orifice, faucet, or other outlet whatsoever, without such
50service being reported for payment or such electricity, gas, or
51water passing through a meter provided by the utility and used
52for measuring and registering the quantity of electricity, gas,
53or water passing through the same.
54     (c)  Use or receive the direct benefit from the use of a
55utility knowing, or under such circumstances as would induce a
56reasonable person to believe, that such direct benefits have
57resulted from any tampering with, altering of, or injury to any
58connection, wire, conductor, meter, pipe, conduit, line, cable,
59transformer, amplifier, or other apparatus or device owned,
60operated, or controlled by such utility, for the purpose of
61avoiding payment.
62     (3)  The presence on property in the actual possession of a
63person of any device or alteration that which affects the
64diversion or use of the services of a utility so as to avoid the
65registration of such use by or on a meter installed by the
66utility or so as to otherwise avoid the reporting of use of such
67service for payment is shall be prima facie evidence of the
68violation of this section by such person; however, this
69presumption does shall not apply unless:
70     (a)  The presence of such a device or alteration can be
71attributed only to a deliberate act in furtherance of an intent
72to avoid payment for utility services;
73     (b)  The person charged has received the direct benefit of
74the reduction of the cost of such utility services; and
75     (c)  The customer or recipient of the utility services has
76received the direct benefit of such utility service for at least
77one full billing cycle.
78     (4)  It is prima facie evidence of a person's intent to
79violate paragraph (2)(b) if:
80     (a)  A controlled substance and materials for manufacturing
81the controlled substance intended for sale or distribution to
82another were found in a structure or dwelling;
83     (b)  Materials or equipment for manufacturing the
84controlled substance have been in the structure or dwelling for
85at least 1 year;
86     (c)  The dwelling or structure has been visibly modified to
87accommodate the use of equipment to grow marijuana indoors,
88including, but not limited to, the installation of equipment to
89provide additional air conditioning, equipment to provide high-
90wattage lighting, or equipment for hydroponic cultivation; and
91     (d)  The person or entity who owned, leased, or subleased
92the structure or dwelling knew of the presence of the controlled
93substance and materials for manufacturing the controlled
94substance in the structure or dwelling, regardless of whether
95the person or entity was involved in the manufacture or sale of
96the controlled substance or was in actual possession of the
97structure or dwelling.
98     (5)(4)  Any person who willfully violates paragraph (2)(a)
99or paragraph (2)(c) commits this section shall be guilty of a
100misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
101775.082 or s. 775.083. Any person who willfully violates
102paragraph (2)(b) commits a felony of the third degree,
103punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
104Prosecution of a violation of subsection (2) does not preclude
105prosecution of theft under subsection (6) or s. 812.014.
106     (6)  Theft of utility services for the purpose of
107facilitating the manufacture of a controlled substance is a
108felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s.
109775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
110     (7)  It is prima facie evidence of a person's intent to
111violate subsection (6) if:
112     (a)  The person committed theft of utility services
113resulting in a structure, as defined in s. 810.011, or a
114dwelling, as defined in s. 810.011, receiving unauthorized
115access to utility services;
116     (b)  A controlled substance and materials for manufacturing
117the controlled substance were found in the structure or
118dwelling; and
119     (c)  The person knew of the presence of the controlled
120substance and materials for manufacturing the controlled
121substance in the structure or dwelling, regardless of whether
122the person was involved in the manufacture of the controlled
123substance.
124     (8)(5)  Whoever is found in a civil action to have violated
125the provisions of this section is hereof shall be liable to the
126utility involved in an amount equal to 3 times the amount of
127services unlawfully obtained or $1,000, whichever is greater.
128     (9)(6)  Nothing in This section does not act shall be
129construed to apply to licensed and certified electrical
130contractors while performing usual and ordinary service in
131accordance with recognized standards.
132     Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2009.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.