TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved legislation that bans releasing felons convicted of violent or sexual crimes prior to their sentencing.
The bill, called HB 455 or “Missy’s Law,” requires that these offenders be detained immediately after a guilty verdict.
The new law aims to prevent defendants convicted of dangerous crimes This was influenced by the death of a child in Florida who was murdered by a man who had been released on bond after being convicted of another sex offense involving a minor.
The law is named after Melissa “Missy” Mogle, a 5-year-old from Tallahassee who was murdered in May 2025. Her stepfather, Daniel Spencer, faced charges of first-degree murder in her death.
At that time, Spencer was out on bond, awaiting sentencing for an unrelated charge of attempting to meet a minor for sex.
The law mandates that judges must instantaneously remand anyone convicted of a dangerous crime into custody. These individuals will remain detained until sentencing or further legal proceedings, with no option for release on bond.
At a signing ceremony in Tampa, Gov. DeSantis criticized the judicial ruling permitting Spencer’s continued freedom. He explicitly urged the Florida House of Representatives to impeach 2nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper, the judge who released Spencer before his sentencing.
“To my friends in the Florida House of Representatives, I don’t think what you’ve done is enough,” DeSantis said. “Until you start holding these judges accountable, they’re going to continue to find ways to benefit the criminal element. This was an outrage.”
Mogle’s family was present for the signing of HB 455 and a second measure, HB 1159. The second bill changes Florida legal terminology by replacing the term “child pornography” with “child sexual assault material.”
DeSantis mentioned that the tragedy involving the Mogle family was the main reason for the new restrictions. He explained that the legislative change aims to prevent similar incidents involving children in the future.
“Any time you do legislation like this, it’s obviously bittersweet because a tragedy leads to the impetus to do something and so you reflect on that and see the pain of the family, but also know that you’ve done something about it and in the future this isn’t going to happen to another 5-year-old girl,” DeSantis said. “The state of Florida is safer as a result of this.”
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