A new Florida law that takes effect this week cracks down on the illicit use of Apple AirTags or other Bluetooth trackers to stalk or follow someone during the commission of a dangerous crime.
Starting Wednesday, the new law carries a punishment of up to 15 years in prison for anyone convicted of using the high-tech trackers to commit crimes, including murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, rape, robbery, or other serious offenses.
The Legislature passed the law unanimously earlier this year, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it in May. Last year, lawmakers separately increased the penalty for using such trackers to stalk someone, raising such crimes from a misdemeanor to a felony with a sentence of up to five years in prison.
“It is critical that we establish a deterrent to those who would utilize these technologies in furtherance of committing crimes, which do real harm to our citizens,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tom Leek, R-St. Augustine, said during a Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing when lawmakers were still considering the measure.
Cases of stalking with tracking devices have escalated sharply in recent years, according to statewide criminal data. In 2019, there were 15 such charges in Florida. Already in 2025, the number has topped 100 with three months left in the year.
The surge coincides with the growing popularity of the small, inexpensive tracking devices with batteries that can last one year or longer. Products like Apple’s AirTag or Life 360’s Tile are marketed as useful tools to track luggage or keys, but the same features can render them hard-to-detect and vulnerable to misuse.
Illicit stalking can also occur through the misuse of cell phones and apps, such as Life360 or Find My Friends, said Brittani Melvin, director of the Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network. It offers emergency shelter, counseling, and advocacy services for victims across Alachua, Bradford, and Union counties in north-central Florida.
The same day DeSantis signed the new law earlier this year, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Julian Jaramillo, 21, of Palmetto, Florida, on felony kidnapping and carjacking charges and misdemeanor battery, according to court records.
Jaramillo was accused of hiding an extra cell phone in his ex-girlfriend’s car to follow her to a friend’s home in Ruskin, south of Tampa. He is also facing a felony charge of illegally installing or using a tracking device or application. Authorities found the phone, registered to Jaramillo, inside the car.
“He placed a phone in the zippered portion of the rear seat and used GPS location to track her for the past two weeks,” Assistant State Attorney Andrew Ray Liverman wrote in court records.
Jaramillo forced the woman into the trunk of her own vehicle — which was captured on video released by the sheriff’s office — and took her to his home in Palmetto, 20 miles away, according to court records. She was able to call a friend and describe in a whisper what happened, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office rescued her.
Jaramillo has pleaded not guilty. A jury trial is expected to start Feb. 23. His lawyers did not respond to phone messages asking about the case.
Jaramillo was not charged under the heightened penalty of up to 15 years in prison approved this year by the Legislature because they were not in effect at the time. He would face up to five years if convicted on the felony tracking charge and up to life in prison on the kidnapping charge.
The Senate minority leader, Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, supported the bill. When lawmakers were considering its passage, she noted the 2021 murder of a 4-year-old in Broward County, Greyson Kessler.
Greyson’s father, John Stacey, had secretly installed a GPS device on the vehicle of Greyson’s mother, Allison Kessler, to track her whereabouts. During a court-ordered visitation, Stacey shot Greyson and then himself at this condo, despite repeated warnings from Kessler to law enforcement about his behavior.
Berman introduced “Greyson’s Law,” which the Legislature passed in 2023 to help protect children in custody disputes. She said the new Florida law against illicit trackers could toughen penalties in similar crimes when the perpetrator lives.
“I feel like having that car tracker that [Stacey] put on [Kessler’s] car without her knowledge was a precipitating event to the actual tragedy that happened in this case,” Berman said in an interview. “So when I saw this bill, I was actually happy to know that we are making the penalties stronger.”
About 15% of women stalking victims in a recent national government survey reported being tracked by GPS devices, and 20% reported they were monitored through computer software or apps. Its data was based on interviews with more than 8,000 women.
Experts said there are warning signs.
“Often, in the course of the relationship, they were showing up unexpectedly in places where you didn't think they'd be,” said Randi Spiker, a psychologist who specializes in technology and violence. “They come to your workplace. They show up when you're out with your friends. And it seems like a sweet, romantic surprise. But it's because they've been tracking you.”
Such crimes can prey on a victim’s feelings about loss of trust and safety.
“Even your own devices in your own home are no longer safe,” Spiker said. “So, there's a huge loss of that own feeling of personal safety, even in your own home, in your job, in your car. You can't escape it, so you feel stuck, and you feel very isolated because you don't know who you can trust or if people are going to take it seriously.”
Spiker said lawmakers should hold manufacturers more responsible for the improper use of their products. She said companies haven’t been held legally liable enough.
Representatives for Apple Inc. did not respond to an email to its media relations staff. Apple and other companies have made efforts to avoid misuse of their products by notifying users if an unknown device is traveling with them. Apple is facing an ongoing federal lawsuit in California from 2022 over whether its AirTags can be used for stalking.
Melvin, who runs the domestic violence shelter, said these messages often go unnoticed by victims. “How many times do we get notifications on our phone and we just ignore them?” Melvin asked.
It’s unclear whether tougher penalties will prevent violent stalking, said Aaron Wayt, co-chair and president-elect of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He said early intervention is more effective at reducing crime and said individuals who obtain restraining orders can ask authorities to check their homes and vehicles for tracking devices.
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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at oliviaevans@freshtakeflorida.com. You can donate to support our students here.