Florida Senate - 2019                                     SB 130
       
       
        
       By Senator Stewart
       
       
       
       
       
       13-00249-19                                            2019130__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the sexual battery prosecution time
    3         limitation; amending s. 775.15, F.S.; creating an
    4         exception to the general time limitations which allows
    5         a prosecution to be commenced at any time for
    6         specified sexual battery offenses against victims
    7         younger than a certain age at the time the offense was
    8         committed; providing applicability; providing an
    9         effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (20) is added to section 775.15,
   14  Florida Statutes, and subsection (2) of that section is
   15  republished, to read:
   16         775.15 Time limitations; general time limitations;
   17  exceptions.—
   18         (2) Except as otherwise provided in this section,
   19  prosecutions for other offenses are subject to the following
   20  periods of limitation:
   21         (a) A prosecution for a felony of the first degree must be
   22  commenced within 4 years after it is committed.
   23         (b) A prosecution for any other felony must be commenced
   24  within 3 years after it is committed.
   25         (c) A prosecution for a misdemeanor of the first degree
   26  must be commenced within 2 years after it is committed.
   27         (d) A prosecution for a misdemeanor of the second degree or
   28  a noncriminal violation must be commenced within 1 year after it
   29  is committed.
   30         (20) If a victim is younger than 18 years of age at the
   31  time the offense was committed, a prosecution for a violation of
   32  s. 794.011 may be commenced at any time. This subsection applies
   33  to an offense that is not otherwise barred from prosecution on
   34  or before July 1, 2019.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.