The vast majority of criminal prosecutions across Florida land in state court. Still, certain facts can yank a prosecution out of a state courtroom and place it on the federal docket. Understanding where that line sits helps defendants, families and even local investigators anticipate the system they will face.
How jurisdiction shifts
Federal jurisdiction is not automatic. Federal prosecutors can intervene only when they establish a clear connection between the alleged conduct and a recognized federal interest. Common gateways include interstate element, like drugs, money or victims cross state borders. Another national interest is federal property or personnel, like crimes on military bases, post offices or against federal agents. Finally, there are statutes with nationwide reach, which include bank fraud affecting FDIC-insured lenders or computer hacks that travel through interstate networks.
Statutes that commonly elevate state charges
Alleged drug distribution rings that move product along the I-10 or I-95 corridors often invite DEA and U.S. attorney involvement. Large-scale fraud, from PPP loan schemes to securities violations, falls under federal mail, wire or securities-fraud laws. Cybercrimes targeting victims in multiple states can prompt indictments under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Violence on federal soil, like a bar fight at MacDill Air Force Base, becomes a federal assault.
Navigating dual systems
A state arrest does not guarantee a state-only future. The Justice Department’s Petite Policy allows federal prosecutors to adopt a case if it advances a federal interest unmet by state law.
Florida law governs most felonies, but interstate conduct, federal property or statutes protecting national markets can flip the matter into federal court. When those facts arise, defendants confront different rules, investigators and sentencing exposures, an outcome worth anticipating long before the indictment is filed.