St. Petersburg Sex Crimes Lawyer

A sex crime accusation in St. Petersburg can cost you your job, your family, and your freedom before a single charge is filed. Goldman Wetzel defends people who are under investigation for or charged with sex offenses in St. Petersburg and throughout Pinellas County, in state court and in federal court. Both of our attorneys work on every case, and one of us is a former prosecutor.

If a detective has called you, officers have searched your home or phone, or you have already been arrested, speak with a St. Petersburg sex crimes lawyer before you speak with anyone else. We answer the phone 24 hours a day.

Sex Crime Cases We Handle in St. Petersburg

Each of these charges has its own statute, its own penalties, and its own defenses. Choose the one that matches your situation for a closer look.

We also defend statutory rape, incest, harmful communication to a minor, indecent exposure, and sexual harassment cases, as well as allegations against teachers and military personnel. The full list of our St. Petersburg sex crime pages is at the bottom of this page.

Where St. Petersburg Sex Crime Cases Are Heard

Most sex crime cases in St. Petersburg begin with the St. Petersburg Police Department or the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Internet cases are often worked with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a regional internet crimes against children task force, and may be referred to Homeland Security Investigations or the FBI.

State court. State charges are prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit and heard at the Pinellas County Justice Center, 14250 49th Street North in Clearwater, next to the county jail. First appearance, arraignment, motions, and trial for a St. Petersburg case all happen there, not in downtown St. Petersburg.

Federal court. Federal charges are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and heard across the bay at the Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse in Tampa. Child pornography, online enticement, and trafficking cases are the ones most often filed federally, and federal sentences are usually longer. We defend clients in both courts, so the same two attorneys stay with your case wherever it is filed. See our federal criminal defense page for how federal cases work.

Penalties for Sex Crimes in Florida

Florida sex offenses range from misdemeanors to capital felonies. A few examples:

• Sexual battery (Fla. Stat. § 794.011): from a second-degree felony, up to 15 years, to a life felony or a capital felony, depending on the ages involved and whether force, a weapon, or incapacitation is alleged.
• Lewd or lascivious offenses (Fla. Stat. § 800.04): most charges against an adult are second-degree felonies carrying up to 15 years; lewd or lascivious molestation of a child younger than 12 by an adult is a life felony.
• Child pornography and CSAM (Fla. Stat. § 827.071): for conduct on or after July 1, 2026, possession is a second-degree felony for each image, promoting carries a five-year mandatory minimum for an adult, and using a child in a sexual performance carries a 15-year mandatory minimum.
• Solicitation of prostitution (Fla. Stat. § 796.07): a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense, with a $5,000 civil penalty and other mandatory conditions; a second offense is a felony.
• Federal charges: distribution or receipt of child pornography carries a five-year mandatory minimum, and online enticement of a minor carries a ten-year mandatory minimum.

A conviction for most felony sex offenses also means lifetime registration as a sex offender, sex offender probation, and limits on where you can live and work. These are the ranges set by statute, not predictions about any case. Our St. Petersburg sex crimes penalties page goes into more detail.

What To Do If You Are Accused of a Sex Crime

The decisions you make in the first few days matter more in these cases than in almost any other kind of criminal case.

• Do not talk to the police, even to “clear things up.” Detectives often call before an arrest hoping for a statement. Politely say you want a lawyer and end the conversation.
• Do not contact the accuser, and do not ask a friend or family member to. Police sometimes arrange for the accuser to call you and record it, and any contact can become a separate charge or a bond violation.
• Do not delete anything. Deleted messages and files are usually recoverable, and deleting them can be charged as tampering.
• Save what you have. Texts, emails, photos, call logs, location history, and social media messages often matter more to the defense than to the prosecution.
• Stay off social media about the accusation or the person making it.
• Call a lawyer before first appearance if you can. Bond and no-contact conditions are set at that hearing, and they are hard to change later.

Our pages on sex crime investigations, arrests, and what to expect walk through each stage.

How Goldman Wetzel Defends Sex Crime Cases

During the investigation. If you hire us before an arrest, we notify the detective that you are represented, so every contact goes through us. In some cases we present information to the State Attorney’s Office before the filing decision is made. Prosecutors in Pinellas County review the evidence before deciding whether to file formal charges, and that review is an opportunity to show them a case they should not file.

Challenging the evidence. Sex crime cases are usually built on the accuser’s account, a forensic extraction of someone’s phone, a medical exam, or a recorded call. We examine each piece: who said what and when, whether the forensic work is reliable, whether the search of your home or devices was lawful, and whether the accuser’s story has changed. Florida allows the defense to take sworn depositions of witnesses in felony cases, and we use them.

Motions, negotiation, and trial. Where the facts support it, we file motions to suppress unlawfully obtained evidence or to dismiss charges the State cannot prove. Many cases resolve through negotiation, and we make sure you understand every option before you decide. When a case should be tried, we try it. We have taken sex crime cases to verdict, including capital sexual battery.

Our defense strategies, evidence, and false accusations pages explain this work in more depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I be charged if I have not been arrested?

Yes. Sex crime investigations often run for weeks or months before an arrest, and the State Attorney’s Office can file charges without a prior arrest. A detective’s silence does not mean the case has gone away. The best time to involve a lawyer is before charges are filed, when there is still a chance of no charges at all.

Will I have to register as a sex offender?

It depends on the charge. Most felony sex offenses, including sexual battery, lewd or lascivious offenses, and child pornography, require registration for life in Florida. A conviction for solicitation or indecent exposure generally does not. We explain the registration consequences of every option before you make a decision.

What if the accusation is false?

False and exaggerated accusations happen, often in the middle of a divorce, a custody dispute, or a breakup. A false accusation still has to be defended carefully, because the police and the prosecutor will not take your word for it. We look for the motive, the inconsistencies, and the records that show what really happened.

Do you handle federal sex crime cases?

Yes. We represent clients in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, where federal child pornography, enticement, and trafficking cases from Pinellas County are heard.

Where is your office?

We are at 200 Central Avenue, Suite 400, in downtown St. Petersburg, with additional offices in Tampa and Bradenton. We can also meet by phone or video, and we visit clients at the Pinellas County Jail.

St. Petersburg Sex Crime Pages

• Sexual battery
• Rape
• Date rape
• Statutory rape
• Sexual abuse
• Child sexual abuse
• Molestation
• Lewd and lascivious offenses
• Child pornography and CSAM
• Traveling to meet a minor
• Harmful communication to a minor
• Prostitution
• Solicitation
• Sex and human trafficking
• Digital voyeurism
• Incest
• Sexual harassment
• Accusations against teachers
• Military base sex crimes
• Sex offender registry
• Penalties
• Investigations
• Arrests
• Evidence used at trial
• Sex crime trials
• What to expect
• False accusations
• Defense strategies
• Why hire a sex crimes attorney

Other areas: Florida sex crimes • Pinellas County • Clearwater • Largo • Tampa • Bradenton

Speak With a St. Petersburg Sex Crimes Lawyer

An accusation is not a conviction, and the State has to prove its case. If you are under investigation or facing a sex crime charge in St. Petersburg or anywhere in Pinellas County, contact Goldman Wetzel or call (727) 828-3900 for a confidential consultation.