


Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a bill Wednesday that would turn swatting attempts into “really serious offenses.”
This is the second bill DeSantis has signed in Florida on swatting, or making false police reports to scare victims by sending law enforcement to their home. According to the governor, this second law will be “the strongest in the country.”
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“We’ve seen an increase in this swatting activity around the country, but including in Florida,” DeSantis said Wednesday on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom.
“The people that are doing this are committing really serious offenses, and I appreciate that we’re going to hold them accountable with criminal sanctions, but also the restitution because it costs money to have to do all this stuff,” DeSantis added.
A single swatting event is estimated to cost anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000. However, a swatting at a school, for example, when a false mass shooting is reported, can cost even more.
This new law would put the onus on paying these costs on the person who makes the false report.
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“Bottom line is we have zero tolerance for swatting,” DeSantis said. “You are putting people’s lives in danger, and you are grossly misusing very important emergency resources.”
A similar bill, the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act, was introduced in the U.S. House. It has the support of a bipartisan group of representatives.