JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — During his visit to Jacksonville, Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, rolled out a new plan to enhance the security of shoppers and staff at a local Home Depot.

Uthmeier emphasized that widespread retail theft leads to increased costs for consumers, burdening them with higher prices.

First Coast News reached out to shoppers with the question: “How crucial is it for you to feel secure while shopping?”

Shopper Derrick Anderson expressed his concerns, stating, “It’s important because the last thing I want is for a group of criminals to invade the store while I’m shopping. The thought that they might be armed is alarming.”

“I don’t go to places unless I feel safe,” said Cathryn Harvey, another shopper. 

In Friday’s press conference at Home Depot in Oak Leaf, Attorney General James Uthmeier said retail theft is becoming more frequent and more violent.   

“We’re sending a message in Florida: if you commit a crime, you will absolutely pay for it for a very long time,” Uthmeier said. 

He said since he took office in February, he’s had over 50 convictions for criminals committing large-scale retail theft. 

He said his office recently dismantled a retail theft ring that targeted Home Depots in over a dozen counties, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of smoke detectors. 

To put an end to these networks, he says this retail theft task force, comprised of state and local law enforcement, will bridge jurisdictional gaps and make it easier to prosecute offenders.

“We’re not just going to sit by on our hands and watch our stores turn into what you see in New York or San Francisco, where you have to unlock plexiglass to get some toothpaste. We’re giving long-term sentences to the slammer,” Uthmeier said. 

Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said he’s in full support of stopping these crimes, adding that Jacksonville has its own dedicated retail theft task force. 

“As we head into the holidays, Jacksonville citizens will be shopping for their loved ones. These law-abiding citizens should be free of the burdens imposed upon them by thieves. There’s nothing worse than a thief,” Sheriff Waters said. 

Shoppers like Derrick and Cathryn said they’re glad the attorney general is being tougher on these crimes.