Grand Theft Amount in Florida: Tiers, Penalties, and Restitution

In Florida, theft becomes grand theft, a felony, once the stolen property is worth $750 or more. That is the general dollar amount for grand theft in Florida, but two things complicate it: the threshold drops to just $100 when property is taken from someone’s home, and a list of specific items counts as grand theft at any value at all. Above $750, the charge is broken into three felony degrees based on how much was taken.¹

The Three Dollar Tiers

Florida sorts grand theft into three felony degrees, each with its own value range.¹

Third-degree grand theft covers property worth $750 or more but less than $20,000.
Second-degree grand theft covers property worth $20,000 or more but less than $100,000.
First-degree grand theft covers property worth $100,000 or more.

A few situations push a case to first-degree without meeting the $100,000 threshold. Using a motor vehicle as a tool to commit the theft (not just as a getaway car) and damaging someone’s property in the process qualifies, as does causing more than $1,000 in property damage during the offense. Stolen cargo worth $50,000 or more that is in the stream of interstate or intrastate commerce is also first-degree grand theft.¹

Second-degree has its own special categories. Taking emergency medical equipment worth $300 or more from a hospital or ambulance, or law enforcement equipment worth $300 or more from an emergency vehicle, is automatically a second-degree felony.²

The $100 Threshold for Property Taken From a Home

This catches people off guard. When stolen property comes from a dwelling or its surrounding grounds, the grand theft threshold drops from $750 to $100. Taking anything worth $100 or more from someone’s home is a third-degree felony, and even property worth as little as $40 but less than $750 becomes grand theft when taken from a dwelling. If the theft involves property from more than 20 dwellings, the charge climbs to second-degree.²

Items That Are Grand Theft at Any Value

Some property is grand theft regardless of what it’s worth. Third-degree grand theft applies automatically to the theft of:¹

Firearms
Motor vehicles
Controlled substances
Wills and testamentary instruments
Stop signs
Fire extinguishers installed in a building for fire prevention
Commercially farmed animals, including horses, cattle, swine, poultry, bee colonies, and aquaculture species from certified facilities
Citrus fruit totaling 2,000 or more individual pieces
Anhydrous ammonia
Property from a designated construction site that posts the required signage

Stealing a firearm becomes a second-degree felony for anyone with a prior grand theft of a firearm conviction. Stealing commercially farmed animals carries a mandatory $10,000 fine on top of the standard penalties.²

How the Value Is Actually Calculated

Because the whole charge turns on a dollar figure, how that figure is set matters. Florida defines value as the fair market value of the property at the time and place of the offense. If fair market value can’t be determined, replacement cost within a reasonable time after the theft is used instead.³

That distinction matters for used property. A two-year-old laptop that sold new for $1,200 may have a fair market value well below $750. Prosecutors can’t just fall back on the original purchase price. Trade secrets and similar specialized property are valued based on the economic loss the owner would reasonably suffer.

Florida also allows aggregation. When someone steals multiple items as part of a single scheme, the values can be added together. Five items each worth $200 taken in one spree can be treated as a single $1,000 theft and cross the grand theft line. The rule applies even when the items belong to different victims, as long as the thefts are part of the same course of conduct.³

Prison Time and Fines

Each degree has its own statutory maximums. These are ceilings, not automatic outcomes, but they define the exposure a defendant faces.

First and second degree share the same $10,000 fine cap; prison exposure is what separates them. And these are only the state-imposed penalties. Restitution, attorney fees, and probation costs stack on top.

The actual sentence within those ranges is guided by Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, which adds points for the severity of the offense, prior convictions, weapon use, and other factors, and produces a lowest permissible sentence the judge can go up from.⁶ A first-time offender who took $800 in merchandise scores very differently from someone with prior felonies who took the same amount.

Restitution Is a Separate Obligation

Florida courts are required to order restitution to the victim in theft cases unless there are clear and compelling reasons not to. It is separate from any fine paid to the state and covers the victim’s actual loss, including the value of stolen property and any related damages.⁷

The amount is usually based on fair market value, though the court can use replacement cost, purchase price minus depreciation, or actual repair cost when one of those better makes the victim whole. If a court decides not to order full restitution, it must state detailed reasons on the record.⁷ Inability to pay right away doesn’t erase it. Restitution follows the defendant, and failing to pay can bring further legal consequences.

How Long the State Has to File Charges

Prosecution deadlines depend on the degree of the felony.⁸

First-degree grand theft: charges must be filed within 4 years of the offense.
Second-degree and third-degree grand theft: charges must be filed within 3 years.

The clock runs from when the crime is committed, not when it’s discovered. Certain circumstances can pause or extend these deadlines, so anyone who believes the window has closed should confirm with an attorney rather than assume.

Clearing the Record Later Is Difficult

A grand theft conviction sticks. Florida’s expungement statute only reaches criminal records where the person was never adjudicated guilty. If the court entered a formal judgment of guilt on a grand theft charge, expungement is off the table.⁹

Expungement is available when charges were dropped, dismissed, or resulted in an acquittal. Sealing may be available when adjudication was withheld, which sometimes happens through a plea deal. Even sealing has conditions: no adjudication of guilt on any Florida criminal offense, no prior sealed or expunged records (with a narrow exception for records sealed at least 10 years), and no ongoing court supervision.⁹

Beyond the record itself, a felony conviction costs the right to vote, sit on a jury, and hold public office, though voting rights can be restored after completing the full sentence and paying all outstanding fines, fees, and restitution. Federal law separately bars anyone with a felony conviction from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives.¹⁰ What matters most for the record is the original case: fighting for a withhold of adjudication, a reduction, or a dismissal is the only real chance to keep grand theft off a permanent history.

1
Justia Law. Florida Code 812.014 – Theft
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 812.014 – Theft
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 812.012 – Definitions
4
FindLaw. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures
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FindLaw. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines
6
Florida Senate. Florida Code 921.0024 – Criminal Punishment Code; Worksheet Computations; Scoresheets
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FindLaw. Florida Code 775.089 – Restitution
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FindLaw. Florida Code 775.15 – Time Limitations
9
Florida Senate. Florida Code 943.0585 – Court-Ordered Expunction of Criminal History Records
10
United States District Court Middle District of Florida. Information for Felony Offenders