Orlando has passed an emergency ordinance that makes social media threats illegal, falling under disorderly conduct.

The City Council passed the motion unanimously during a meeting Monday.

“I also understand that this is a misdemeanor at a local level. ... I don’t know if Tallahassee is going to make it a felony; hopefully so,” District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz said.

However, others on the council disagreed, saying a misdemeanor was enough of a penalty. 

“I am concerned that 8 year-old and 9-year-olds in school that make subtle threats get a felony, and we ruin their lives for the rest of their lives,” District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill said.  

Orlando Police Chief John Mina spoke on behalf of the ordinance, saying social media has outpaced Florida law, and the department has been working on this for some time.

“Not in every situation do we put handcuffs on a juvenile. We are looking at the best interest of a trial. Is it just proper to give that child a juvenile civil citation or just release them to their parents, because of the young age of a child? Like you said, we are going to take all of that into account,” Mina said.

But since the Parkland mass shooting almost two weeks ago, Orlando and other areas in Central Florida have seen an increase in threats being made. Many of those threats are being made through social media.

Currently, there is what Mina called a loophole in state law, and threats on social media are not recognized fully as a criminal act if it is toward an entity. The ordinance passed Monday allows officers to charge people with a misdemeanor if they make a threat on social media.

District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said something needed to change.

“I wish there was more that we could do, because I am tired of kids getting shot up and people getting shot up in night clubs and movie theaters, and it is just absurd," Sheehan said. "And I hope that we can somehow stem the madness and listen to some of these kids that are amazing, and passionate, and want to see change in our community and in our state.”

The Florida Legislature also working to enact similar legislation at the state level, he said. If passed, that would not go into effect until after the school year on July 1.

There will be a second reading on the social media threat ordinance in two weeks, though it is technically in effect.