The bill amends Section 831.01 of the Florida Statutes to include specific provisions regarding the forgery of gift certificates. It establishes criminal penalties for individuals who falsely make, alter, forge, or counterfeit gift certificates with the intent to injure or defraud another person. The new language explicitly defines a gift certificate as per Section 501.95 and categorizes the act of forgery as a felony of the third degree, which is punishable under the existing statutes.

Additionally, the bill removes the phrase "shall be guilty of" from the previous legal language, streamlining the wording to simply state that individuals who commit these acts "commit" a felony. The effective date for this legislation is set for October 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 874 Filed: 831.01