Prostitution Crimes in Pinellas County

Law enforcement officers in Pinellas County, Florida, use elaborate undercover sting operations to catch those engaged in prostitution. The sting operations targeting prostitution crimes might involve undercover officers:

• posing as a prostitute to meet up with “johns;”
• posing as a “john” to receive offers from prostitutes; or
• entering massage parlors and adult entertainment establishments.

The most commonly prosecuted crimes for prostitution in Pinellas County, FL, are listed in Sections 796.07(2)(a)-(e) and (g)-(i), F.S., including prohibitions on:

• purchasing the services of any person engaged in prostitution;
• participating in any of the acts or things listed above;
• remaining in any place or conveyance used for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation;
• offering to commit, or committing, or engaging in, prostitution, lewdness, or assignation;
• agreeing to direct, take, or transport any person to any place with the knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that the purpose of such directing, taking, or transporting is prostitution, lewdness, or assignation;
• agreeing to receive any person into any place or conveyance for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, or to permit any person to remain there for such purpose;
• offering or agreeing to secure another for the purpose of prostitution or for any other lewd or indecent act; or
• owning, establishing, maintaining, or operating any place, structure, building, or conveyance for the purpose of lewdness, assignation, or prostitution.

After an arrest, these crimes are prosecuted at the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) Courthouse in Clearwater, FL. Prosecutors and investigators receive special training on prosecuting these cases.

You also need an attorney focused on prosecution crimes to fight for a dismissal of the charges or the best possible outcome when resolving the case.

Attorney for Prostitution Crimes in Clearwater, FL

The five attorneys at Sammis Law Firm represent clients on a variety of felony and misdemeanor offenses involving prostitution. Visit our office at 14010 Roosevelt Blvd Suite 701, Clearwater, FL 33762-3820, near the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) Courthouse.

Contact us to learn more about why prostitution and soliciting a prostitute is a crime under Florida law. During the consultation, we can discuss the penalties and punishments and the best way to fight the charges.

Don’t face the judge alone. Contact our experienced criminal defense lawyers in Pinellas County, FL.

Call 727-210-7004. 

Penalties for Crimes of Prostitution in Pinellas County, FL

Chapter 796, F.S., criminalizes acts of prostitution and establishes penalties for violations, including:

• For anyone to force, compel, or coerce another to become a prostitute and those in violation will be guilty of third degree felony under Section 796.04, F.S.;
• For any person with reasonable belief or knowing another person is engaged in prostitution to live or derive support or maintenance in whole or in part from what is believed to be earnings or proceeds of such person’s prostitution under Section 796.05(1), F.S.As explained in Section 796.05(2), F.S., a first offense is a second degree felony, a second offense is a first degree felony, and a third offense is a first degree felony with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
• Under Section 796.06, F.S., to let or rent any place, structure, or part thereof, trailer or other conveyance, with the knowledge that it will be used for the purpose of lewdness, assignation, or prostitution. A person who violates such commits a first-degree misdemeanor, and a second or subsequent offense is charged as a third-degree felony.
• To let or rent any place, structure, or part thereof, trailer or other conveyance, with the knowledge that it will be used for the purpose of lewdness, assignation, or prostitution. A first offense is a first degree misdemeanor and a second or subsequent violation is a third degree felony.

Section 796.07(2), F.S., makes it a crime to:

• (a) To own, establish, maintain, or operate any place, structure, building, or conveyance for the purpose of lewdness, assignation, or prostitution.
• (b) To offer, or to offer to agree to secure, another for the purpose of prostitution or for any other lewd or indecent act.
• (c) To receive, or offer to agree to receive, any person into any place, structure, building, or conveyance for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, or to permit any person to remain there for such purpose.
• (d) To direct, take, transport, or offer or agree to direct, take, or transport any person to any place, structure, or building, or to any other person with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that the purpose of such directing, taking, or transporting is prostitution, lewdness, or assignation.
• (e) For a person 18 years of age or older to offer to commit, or to commit, or to engage in, prostitution, lewdness, or assignation.
• (f) To reside in, enter, or remain in, any place, structure, or building, or to enter or remain in any conveyance, for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation.
• (g) To aid, abet, or participate in any of the acts or things in this section.
• (h) To purchase the services of any person engaged in prostitution.

A person who violates any of these offenses commits:

• A second degree misdemeanor for a first violation;
• A first degree misdemeanor for a second violation;
• A third degree felony for a third or subsequent violation.

A person with a third or subsequent violation must be offered admission to a pretrial intervention program or a substance abuse treatment program as required by Section 796.07(4)(b), F.S.

Florida law makes it a crime to solicit, induce, entice, or procure another to commit prostitution lewdness, or assignation under Section 796.07(2)(f), F.S. A person who violates such commits:

• A first degree misdemeanor for a first violation.
• A third degree felony for a second violation.
• A second degree felony for a third or subsequent violation.

Additionally, a conviction under Section 796.07(2)(f), F.S., requires a civil penalty if the violation results in any judicial disposition other than acquittal or dismissal., and a condition of performing 100 hours of community service and completing an educational program. Under Section 796.07(8)(a), F.S., the educational program covers the following topics:

• the relationship between demand for commercial sex and human trafficking;
• the impact of human trafficking on victims; coercion, consent, and sexual violence;
• the health and legal consequences of commercial sex;
• the negative impact of commercial sex on prostituted persons and the community; and
• the reasons and motivations for engaging in prostitution.

Finally, Section 796.07(5)(c), F.S., requires a second or subsequent violation also requires a minimum mandatory period of incarceration of 10 days.

If the place, structure, building, or conveyance is owned, established, maintained, or operated in violation is a massage establishment that is or should be licensed under s. 480.043, F.S., an offense is reclassified to the next higher degree as follows:

• A second degree misdemeanor for a first violation is reclassified as a first degree misdemeanor under Section 796.07(7)(a), F.S.;
• A first degree misdemeanor for a second violation is reclassified as a third degree felony under Section 796.07(7)(b), F.S.; and
• A third degree felony for a third or subsequent violation is reclassified as a second degree felony under Section 796.07(7)(c), F.S.

Definition for Crimes Related to Prostitution in Florida

For most prostitution crimes in Florida, the term “lewdness” means any indecent or obscene act. Section 796.07, F.S. defines the following terms:

• Section 796.07(1)(a), F.S., defines the term “prostitution” to mean the giving or receiving of the body for sexual activity for hire but excludes sexual activity between spouses;
• Section 796.07(1)(c), F.S., defines “assignation” to mean the making of any appointment or engagement for prostitution or lewdness or any act in furtherance of an appointment or engagement.
• Section 796.07(1)(b), F.S., defines “lewdness” to mean any indecent or obscene act.
• Section 796.07(1)(c), F.S., defines “female genitals” includes the labia minora, labia majora, clitoris, vulva, hymen, and vagina.
• Section 796.07(1)(e), F.S., defines “sexual activity” to mean:
  oral, anal, or female genital penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another;
  • anal or female genital penetration of another by any other object; or
  • the handling or fondling of the sexual organ of another for the purpose of masturbation.

Additional Resources

Human Trafficking Resources for Victims in Pinellas County – Visit the Pinellas County website to learn about efforts to stop Human Trafficking in the Tampa Bay area. The article explains why the Florida legislature enacted Section 787.29 Fla. Stat. in June of 2015. The new legislation requires businesses to display public awareness signage informing the public about resources assisting victims of human trafficking. Additionally, a county-level ordinance authorizes the authorities in Pinellas County to enforce the signage requirements beginning on March 1, 2016. In Pinellas County, the signage must be displayed at specialty salons performing nail services and adult entertainment establishments offering massage or bodywork services for compensation not owned by a health care professional regulated pursuant to Chapter 456, Fla. Stat.

Pinellas Park Police Vice Section – Officers in the Vice and Narcotic Section of the Pinellas Park Police Department investigate crimes related to prostitution, drug offenses, gambling, and racketeering. These officers also participate in elaborate sting operations targeting men soliciting prostitutes and those that facilitate sex crimes throughout the city of Pinellas Park.

Soliciting for Prostitution Public Database – FDLE maintained a database updated weekly of individuals convicted of soliciting a prostitute who met the criteria for inclusion in the database under F.S. 943.0433 and Rule 11D-11. To access the database for individuals convicted of Soliciting for Prostitution, you must open or download the Soliciting for Prostitution Public Database file. Florida Statute 943.0433 and Rule 11D-11 provide the rules for which individuals must be listed on the database.

This article was updated on Friday, June 7, 2024.