If you are looking for a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer, you or someone close to you is probably under investigation or already charged. Goldman Wetzel defends people accused of sexual offenses in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and throughout Pinellas County, in state and federal court.
Attorney Summer Goldman is a former prosecutor, and she and her partner, Maribeth Wetzel, work every case together. Call (727) 828-3900 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation before you speak with a detective.
Under investigation? Talk to a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer first
Many sex crime cases begin with a call from a detective who “just wants your side.” That conversation is evidence gathering, and charges are often not filed for weeks or months. What you do in between matters.
- Do not give a statement. Be polite, say you want a lawyer, and stop.
- Be careful with calls and messages from the accuser. Detectives sometimes have the accuser call or text while they record.
- Do not contact the accuser or witnesses. It can lead to new charges and will be used against you.
- Do not delete texts, photos, or accounts. Those messages often help the defense, and deleting them can be charged as tampering with evidence.
- Call us before an arrest. A lawyer involved early can deal with investigators for you and present information to the prosecutor before a charging decision is made.
Sex crime cases our attorneys handle
We represent people under investigation for or charged with:
- Sexual battery, including allegations commonly described as rape or date rape
- Lewd or lascivious battery, molestation, conduct, or exhibition
- Unlawful sexual activity with a minor
- Online solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor
- Child pornography, which Florida law now calls child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- Using a child in, or promoting, a sexual performance
- Prostitution and solicitation
- Indecent exposure, voyeurism, and digital voyeurism
- Failure to register as a sex offender or to comply with reporting requirements
The statute and subsection named in the charging document decide what the State must prove and what sentence is possible. Two cases that sound alike can carry very different exposure.
Penalties for sex crimes in Florida
Florida sex offenses range from misdemeanors to capital felonies. The table shows the usual classification of the most common charges.
| Charge | Classification | Maximum sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual battery by an adult on a child younger than 12, § 794.011(2)(a) | Capital felony | Death or life in prison |
| Sexual battery with a deadly weapon or force likely to cause serious injury, § 794.011(3) | Life felony | Life in prison |
| Other sexual battery, § 794.011(4) and (5) | First-degree or second-degree felony, depending on ages and circumstances | 15 years to life |
| Lewd or lascivious molestation by an adult of a child younger than 12, § 800.04(5)(b) | Life felony | Life in prison |
| Lewd or lascivious battery, molestation, conduct, or exhibition by an adult involving a child aged 12 to 15, § 800.04 | Second-degree felony | 15 years |
| Traveling to meet a minor, § 847.0135(4) | Second-degree felony | 15 years |
| Possession of child pornography or CSAM, § 827.071(5)(a) | Second-degree felony | 15 years for each image |
| Promoting or transmitting child pornography or CSAM, § 827.071(3) and § 847.0137 | Second-degree felony | 15 years, with a 5-year mandatory minimum for an adult |
| Solicitation of prostitution, first offense, § 796.07(2)(f) | First-degree misdemeanor | 1 year in jail, plus a $5,000 civil penalty and 100 hours of community service |
| Indecent exposure or voyeurism, first offense | First-degree misdemeanor | 1 year in jail |
The actual exposure in a case depends on the number of counts, the ages of the people involved, and any prior convictions. A prior sex offense conviction can raise the degree of a new charge or trigger a long mandatory minimum.
Florida raised the penalties for child pornography and CSAM offenses on July 1, 2026. Our child pornography and CSAM defense page explains those changes and the narrow exception to the new mandatory minimum.
Consequences beyond jail or prison
Under Investigation or Charged? Talk to Us First.
Contact Goldman Wetzel for a free, confidential consultation with a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer.
For many clients, what follows the sentence matters as much as the sentence.
- Sex offender registration. Many felony sex offenses require registration, in most cases for life. Registration isn’t automatic for every charge, and whether a proposed resolution includes registration is one of the first things we review.
- Sex offender probation. Supervision can include a curfew, treatment, limits on internet use, and restrictions on where you live and work.
- Career, housing, and family. A conviction can affect professional licenses, employment, housing, and child custody. For a non-citizen, it can lead to removal.
An arrest alone can do damage, which is one more reason to involve a lawyer before charges are filed.
Can you get off the sex offender registry in Florida?
Sometimes. Florida has two separate routes, and people often confuse them.
- Close-in-age cases. Under section 943.04354, a court may remove the requirement for certain convictions when the other person was 13 to 17, and the accused was no more than four years older. There is no waiting period. The judge has discretion, and a person whose motion is denied cannot file another one, so the first motion has to be done right.
- After 25 years. Under section 943.0435(11), some people may petition once 25 years have passed since their release from confinement or supervision, with no arrests since then. Certain convictions are excluded.
Removing a registration requirement is different from sealing or expunging a record. We review the conviction, the sentence, and the registration history before advising whether either route is open.
Federal sex crime charges
Some allegations can be prosecuted in federal court as well as, or instead of, state court. The most common are online enticement of a minor and producing, receiving, possessing, or distributing child pornography. Use of the internet is often enough to give federal prosecutors jurisdiction, even when everyone involved is in Florida.
Federal charges have their own elements and sentencing rules, and several carry mandatory minimum prison terms. Pinellas County cases that go federal are filed in the United States District Court in Tampa, where Goldman Wetzel also practices.
How a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer builds a defense
The State must prove every element of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. You do not have to prove anything. Our work starts with the specific allegation and the evidence, and depending on the case it includes:
- Testing the accusation. We compare witness accounts, timelines, and earlier statements for inconsistencies, and we review the circumstances under which the accusation was made.
- Examining the digital evidence. Messages, account records, location data, and device forensics often tell a fuller story than the police report.
- Reviewing the forensic evidence. We evaluate DNA and medical findings and bring in independent experts when the science is in question.
- Challenging unlawful police conduct. Evidence from an illegal search, or a statement taken in violation of your rights, can be suppressed.
- Holding the State to its burden. We examine whether the prosecution can prove identity, knowledge, intent, and each other element.
If charges are filed, we pursue the motions the case calls for, negotiate from a position of preparation, and try the case when that is the right course. You make the decisions, and we make sure you understand the options and consequences first.
Why Goldman Wetzel
- A former prosecutor on your side. Summer Goldman prosecuted cases before she defended them. She knows how charging decisions are made and where a case can be challenged.
- Two attorneys on every case. Summer Goldman and Maribeth Wetzel work as a team, so both partners are involved in every case the firm takes.
- State and federal defense. We represent clients in Pinellas County courts and in federal court in Tampa.
- Discretion. We know what an accusation alone can do to a career and a family. Everything you tell us is confidential, and we do not judge the people who call us.
- Local. Our main office is in downtown St. Petersburg, with additional offices in Tampa and Bradenton.
Frequently asked questions
Should I talk to the detective to clear this up?
No. People who believe they have nothing to hide give statements every day that become the center of the case against them. Speak with a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer first, and let the lawyer decide whether and how any information reaches the detective.
Will I have to register as a sex offender?
It depends on the offense. Many felony sex offenses require registration, while charges such as first-offense indecent exposure or solicitation generally do not. Whether a particular plea or verdict carries registration should be settled before any decision is made.
The accuser wants to drop the charges. Will the case end?
Not automatically. In Florida, the State Attorney decides whether to file and pursue charges, not the accuser. A change in the accuser’s position matters, but it should go through your lawyer to the prosecutor, never directly from you.
Is consent a defense?
In adult cases, consent is often the central issue. When the other person is younger than 16, consent is not a defense to a lewd or lascivious charge, and neither is a mistake about that person’s age.
How long does the State have to file charges?
It depends on the charge. Many offenses involving minors have no time limit, while others must be filed within three or four years. Don’t assume time has run out.
Contact a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer today
The earlier a defense lawyer is involved, the more options there are. If you or someone you love is under investigation or facing a sex crime charge, call Goldman Wetzel at (727) 828-3900 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.
We represent clients in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and throughout Pinellas County, as well as Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties.
Under Investigation or Charged? Talk to Us First.
Contact Goldman Wetzel for a free, confidential consultation with a Pinellas County sex crimes lawyer. For an overview of other sex charges we defend and 2026 changes to the law, see our Florida sex crimes lawyer page.