As we have covered extensively, the guests’ behavior at Walt Disney World has gotten much worse since the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It’s almost as if people have forgotten how to act in public.
The number of fights and guests breaking Disney World rules for social media clicks has greatly increased. However, incidents with guests hitting cast members and attempting to steal from a Disney Park have also increased.
Not only do guests who break Walt Disney World’s rules have to deal with criminal charges for their behavior, but they also get a lifetime ban from the Walt Disney World Resort. But now, the state of Florida doesn’t feel that’s enough for guests who commit a particular crime while on vacation at Disney World.
Yesterday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 549 at a Walgreens in Stuart, Florida. This new law sharply increases the penalties for people caught stealing at Walt Disney World and throughout the state.
The new law, which received the backing of many retailers in the state who have seen an uptick in retail theft in recent years, makes various types of retail theft a felony, whereas it was previously a misdemeanor.
The law makes it a third-degree felony if criminals commit theft with five or more individuals. A third-degree felony is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The law is a bit vague in this regard. Do all five people in the group have to commit a theft, or just one? Or do they have to intend to steal before entering the store?
In this case, if five people walk into a store at the Magic Kingdom, and one of them steals something, would this be a third-degree felony, even if the other four did nothing wrong? This is possible for any Disney World guest, as few people travel there alone.
The law also allows the state to charge someone with a felony for multiple retail thefts over 120 days. It also makes it a second-degree felony punishable by 15 years in prison if criminals use social media to solicit others to participate in their crimes.
We don’t want to see prices increase and we certainly don’t want to treat every retail establishment as if every item needs to be under a lock and key just so that they’re not looted out and that will not happen in the state of Florida. You will have toothpaste on the shelf that you can grab, check out and leave. Imagine that, isn’t that great that we were able to do that?
So, the next time you plan on stealing something as a Disney World guest, maybe don’t. Or your Florida vacation may turn into an extended stay.
What do you think of the new Florida law that punishes people for theft? Let us know in the comments.
Don’t steal, behavior is important, for everyone to have fun.
It’s about time we stopped the inmates from running the asylum, ie: California! Bravo Governor DeSantis!
These purists come t WDW thinking THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN!!!!!!! But all they have done is cause havoc, fight, get off rides with kids cause they want to show off, stealing is ramped, misbehaved kids of all ages running all over yelling screaming crying, breaking stuff, pitching fits until they get what they want instead of a good spanking!!!! To include acting like spoiled brats in any given eatery Dis has let this happen