Disorderly conduct charges in Florida are misdemeanors, but they can still mean jail time and fines. If you are repeatedly convicted of disorderly conduct charges, your penalties will increase with each case.
Florida uses disorderly conduct, or “breach of the peace,” charges to regulate a person’s conduct in public. The primary disorderly conduct statute provides that disorderly conduct is conduct that corrupts “public morals,” outrages the sense of “public decency,” affects the “peace and quiet” of others, as well as conduct that constitutes “brawling or fighting.”
Here are some other examples of disorderly conduct that could land you in trouble.
Inappropriate conduct
According to the state statutes, lewd behavior is a misdemeanor that you can commit and includes:
- Waylaying someone for money
- Prostitution
- Loitering near a toilet
You can also fall under this category if you violate others’ privacy in other ways, such as peeping on or filming them in bathrooms or dressing rooms.
Loitering
Loitering involves hanging out or camping out in a public building or space. It is a crime if you do not have the owner’s permission.
Drunken behavior
You can also face criminal charges when you are out in public while visibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It becomes disorderly conduct when you prevent other people from being able to use the public building or space.
Fighting
It is illegal to fight or challenge another individual to fight you in public. You also cannot be unreasonably loud or say language that is offensive to provoke a fight.
Rioting
Rioting, or using unlawful force, is illegal. However, it is a misdemeanor and falls under disorderly conduct. As with any of these, you could face jail time, fines or both. You will also have to pay for the damages you caused during your riotous behavior.
It is easy to dismiss disorderly conduct charges because they are misdemeanors. However, when you have multiple convictions for this crime, your penalties will get worse with each situation. Therefore, you need to be ready to defend yourself against these allegations.