The bill amends existing Florida law to enhance the state's response to Internet crimes against children by renaming the Online Sting Operations Grant Program to the Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program. It defines key terms, including "affiliate" and "task force," and revises the purpose and authorized uses of grant funds to better support local law enforcement agencies in combating online child exploitation. The bill specifies that funds can be used for various expenses related to these efforts, such as overtime pay, training, and technology purchases.

Additionally, the bill establishes the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Funding Program within the Department of Law Enforcement, which aims to provide a stable funding source for task forces recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice. The program will allocate funds with 80% distributed equally among the task forces and 20% retained by the department for its own efforts. The bill also allows the department to adopt rules for the program's implementation and administration, with an effective date set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
H 709 Filed: 943.0411