§ 838.016, Fla. Stat. · Chapter 838. BRIBERY; MISUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE
Unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally give, offer, or promise to any public servant, or, if a public servant, to knowingly and intentionally request, solicit, accept, or agree to accept, any pecuniary or other benefit not authorized by law, for the past, present, or future performance, nonperformance, or violation of any act or omission which the person believes to have been, or the public servant represents as having been, either within the official discretion of the public servant, in violation of a public duty, or in performance of a public duty. This section does not preclude a public servant from accepting rewards for services performed in apprehending any criminal.
(2) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally give, offer, or promise to any public servant, or, if a public servant, to knowingly and intentionally request, solicit, accept, or agree to accept, any pecuniary or other benefit not authorized by law for the past, present, or future exertion of any influence upon or with any other public servant regarding any act or omission which the person believes to have been, or which is represented to him or her as having been, either within the official discretion of the other public servant, in violation of a public duty, or in performance of a public duty.
(3) Prosecution under this section shall not require that the exercise of influence or official discretion, or violation of a public duty or performance of a public duty, for which a pecuniary or other benefit was given, offered, promised, requested, or solicited was accomplished or was within the influence, official discretion, or public duty of the public servant whose action or omission was sought to be rewarded or compensated.
(4) Whoever violates the provisions of this section commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 60, ch. 74-383; s. 36, ch. 75-298; s. 1315, ch. 97-102; s. 4, ch. 2003-158; s. 3, ch. 2016-151.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0838/0838.html
- Text hash
- sha256 51f6f7714ef36086a8e21512877abe1f5ce2a46d3f3a1ee7d1cad86902e1e369
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Florida Statutes
- § 775.082, Fla. Stat.Penalties; applicability of sentencing structures; mandatory minimum sentences for certain reoffenders previously released from prison.Printed as s. 775.082
- § 775.083, Fla. Stat.Fines.Printed as s. 775.083
- § 775.084, Fla. Stat.Violent career criminals; habitual felony offenders and habitual violent felony offenders; three-time violent felony offenders; definitions; procedure; enhanced penalties or mandatory minimum prison terms.Printed as s. 775.084
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.