AgeOfConsent
Florida Age of Consent Laws 2024
What is the Florida Age of Consent?
The Florida Age of Consent is 18 years old. In the United States, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 17 or younger in Florida are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape.
Florida statutory rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual under Age 18. Close in age exemptions exist, allowing minors aged 16 or 17 to engage in sexual intercourse with a partner no older than age 23.
Florida has a close-in-age exemption. A close in age exemption, also known as "Romeo and Juliet law", is designed to prevent the prosecution of underage couples who engage in consensual sex when both participants are significantly close in age to each other, and one or both are below the age of consent.
Depending on the situation, the Florida close-in-age exemption may completely exempt qualifying close-in-age couples from the age of consent law, or merely provide a legal defence that can be used in the event of prosecution.
Age of Consent across the United States
The Age of Consent ranges state-by-state from 16 to 18 years old across the United States. Click the map to view any state's age of consent laws.
Age Of Consent:
16 years old17 years old
18 years old
Punishments for Violating the Age Of Consent in Florida
Florida has four statutory sexual abuse charges on the books which are used to prosecute age of consent and child abuse related crimes within the state. One or more of these charges may be used to prosecute violations of the Florida Age of Consent, as statutory rape or the Florida equivalent of that charge.
The severity of the criminal charge (felony, misdemeanor, etc) depends on the specifics of the acts committed and the relative ages of the perpetrator and victim. Click any charge for more detailed information.
| Criminal Charge | Severity | Punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Computer pornography/traveling to meet minors | Felony of the second degree; Felony of the third degree | Up to 15 years in prison; Up to 5 years in prison |
| Lewd or lascivious offenses committed on or in the presence of persons under 16 | Felony of the second degree; Felony of the third degree; Life felony | Up to 15 years in prison; Up to 5 years in prison; Sentence not to exceed life |
| Sexual Battery | Capital felony; First degree felony ; Life Felony; Second degree felony | Death; Up to 15 years; Sentence not to exceed life |
| Unlawful sexual activity with certain minors | Felony of the second degree | Up to 15 years |
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