On July 1, 2026, roughly 140 new laws took effect in Florida. Most made headlines for budgets or schools — but a handful change how the criminal system treats people accused of a crime. Two stand out because they directly affect bond, monitoring, and penalties. Here's what actually changed, and what it means in practice.
Missy's Law: no bond after a plea or conviction for certain crimes
What changed: Under Missy's Law, once a defendant pleads guilty, pleads no contest, or is convicted of a designated “dangerous crime,” the court must take them into custody immediately — with no bond — while they await sentencing. The law also adds certain computer pornography and child-exploitation offenses to Florida's statutory list of “dangerous crimes,” which further limits pretrial release for those charges.
The law is named after a five-year-old girl killed in 2025; the man responsible had been released on bond in an earlier case. That history is what drove the Legislature to close what it saw as a gap in the bond rules.
What it means if you're facing charges: the practical effect is that the window to resolve custody now effectively closes the moment a plea is entered or a verdict comes back for these offenses. That makes the earliest stages of a case — and the decision of whether and when to enter a plea — more consequential than ever. Bond and release strategy has to be worked out early, not after the fact.
Tougher domestic violence penalties and electronic monitoring
What changed: Florida strengthened its domestic violence laws in several ways. The changes increase criminal penalties for repeat offenders and launch a two-year pilot program that uses electronic monitoring to track certain offenders placed on probation. The same package expands financial relocation assistance for victims and lets judges weigh threats to family pets when deciding on protective injunctions.
What it means if you're facing charges: a prior record now carries even more weight, so how earlier allegations are handled can shape the exposure on a new charge. Electronic monitoring as a condition of probation is something to understand fully — and, where the facts allow, to contest or negotiate. And because injunction proceedings now reach further, they should be taken as seriously as the criminal case itself.
Why this matters
Both of these laws move in the same direction: they narrow the room a defendant has after charges are filed. That's exactly why the response has to start early. As a former Miami-Dade prosecutor, I've seen how these decisions get made from the inside — and that's the vantage point I bring to the defense.
This article is general information about changes in Florida law, not legal advice. How any new law applies depends on the specific charge and facts of a case. If you or someone you love is facing charges, the first step is to talk to a lawyer.