Fla. Stat. § 787.035: Sheltering unmarried minors; aiding unmarried minor runaways; violations.

(1)(a) A person who is not an authorized agent of the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Children and Families may not knowingly shelter an unmarried minor for more than 24 hours without the consent of the minor’s parent or guardian or without notifying a law enforcement officer of the minor’s name and the fact that the minor is being provided shelter.

(b) A person may not knowingly provide aid to an unmarried minor who has run away from home without first contacting the minor’s parent or guardian or notifying a law enforcement officer. The aid prohibited under this paragraph includes assisting the minor in obtaining shelter, such as hotel lodgings.

(2) A person who violates this section commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

History.—s. 14, ch. 97-281; s. 100, ch. 2006-120; s. 360, ch. 2014-19; s. 28, ch. 2025-153; s. 5, ch. 2026-16.