Where Can You Live in Florida if You Are a Registered Sex Offender?
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement website answers the question regarding where registered sex offenders and sexual predators may live in Florida as follows:
"In very general terms, barring any exceptions as so outlined in Florida Registration Statute, if a subject is a registered offender, who has a released status (meaning he/she is no longer serving any sanctions for the crime), and his/her offense date was committed before 10/1/2004, there is no Florida Statutory restriction on where he/she can live based upon his/her designation as an offender/predator.
However, Florida Statute 794.065, provides that certain individuals who have been convicted of a violation of s. 794.011, s. 800.04, s. 827.071, or s. 847.0145, with an offense date on or after October 1, 2004, where the victim of the offense was less than 16 years of age, cannot reside within 1,000 feet of any school, day care center, park, or playground. Please see the complete statutory text for F.S. 794.065 for further information.
Furthermore, there may also be municipal and/or county ordinances in your area regarding sex offenders/predators. Contact the appropriate entities in your local area (i.e. your local Sheriff's Office and/or Police Department) to obtain this information. For contact information for each of the Sheriff's Offices and Police Departments click on Links from the registry website.
Finally, if you are a sexual offender/predator who is still serving sanctions imposed, such as probation, parole, or community control under the [Florida] Department of Corrections (DC), you are required to follow the Conditions of Probation ordered by the judge in accordance with Florida statute. Restrictions are normally listed in these conditions. You should contact your probation officer directly for more information."
Some city and county ordinances in Florida make it extremely difficult--if not impossible--for sexual offenders to live lawfully in their communities. Take Miami for example. Last year, CNN reported how some sex offenders in that city have resorted to living under a bridge in order to comply with Miami's sex offender registration laws:
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The sparkling blue waters off Miami's Julia Tuttle Causeway look as if they were taken from a postcard. But the causeway's only inhabitants see little paradise in their surroundings.
Five men -- all registered sex offenders convicted of abusing children -- live along the causeway because there is a housing shortage for Miami's least welcome residents.
"I got nowhere I can go!" says sex offender Rene Matamoros, who lives with his dog on the shore where Biscayne Bay meets the causeway.
The Florida Department of Corrections says there are fewer and fewer places in Miami-Dade County where sex offenders can live because the county has some of the strongest restrictions against this kind of criminal in the country.
Florida's solution: house the convicted felons under a bridge that forms one part of the causeway.
The Julia Tuttle Causeway, which links Miami to Miami Beach, offers no running water, no electricity and little protection from nasty weather. It's not an ideal solution, Department of Corrections Officials told CNN, but at least the state knows where the sex offenders are.
Nearly every day a state probation officer makes a predawn visit to the causeway. Those visits are part of the terms of the offenders' probation which mandates that they occupy a residence from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
But what if a sex offender can't find a place to live?
That is increasingly the case, say state officials, after several Florida cities enacted laws that prohibit convicted sexual offenders from living within 2,500 feet of schools, parks and other places where children might gather. (Watch one sex offender describe how he was forced to give up an apartment )
Bruce Grant of the Florida Department of Corrections said the laws have not only kept sex offenders away from children but forced several to live on the street.
"Because of those restrictions, because there are many places that children congregate, because of 2,500 feet, that's almost half a mile, that's a pretty long way when you are talking about an urban area like Miami, so it isn't surprising that we say we are trying but we don't have a place for these people to live in," Grant said.
For several of the offenders, the causeway is their second experience at homelessness. Some of them lived for months in a lot near downtown Miami until officials learned that the lot bordered a center for sexually abused children.
Trudy Novicki, executive director of Kristi House, said the offenders' presence put the center's children at risk. "It was very troublesome to learn that across the street there are people who are sex offenders that could be a danger to our children," she said.
Keeping the rats off
With nowhere to put these men, the Department of Corrections moved them under the Julia Tuttle Causeway. With the roar of cars passing overhead, convicted sex offender Kevin Morales sleeps in a chair to keep the rats off him.
"The rodents come up next to you, you could be sleeping the whole night and they could be nibbling on you," he said.
Morales has been homeless and living under the causeway for about three weeks. He works, has a car and had a rented apartment but was forced to move after the Department of Corrections said a swimming pool in his building put him too close to children.
The convicted felons may not be locked up anymore, but they say it's not much of an improvement.
"Jail is anytime much better than this, than the life than I'm living here now," Morales said. "[In jail] I can sleep better. I get fed three times a day. I can shower anytime that I want to."
Morales said that harsher laws and living conditions for sex offenders may have unintended consequences.
"The tougher they're making these laws unfortunately it's scaring offenders and they're saying, 'You know what, the best thing for me to do is run,'" Morales said.
A Miami Herald investigation two years ago found that 1,800 sex offenders in Florida were unaccounted for after violating probation.
Florida's system for monitoring them needs to be fixed, says state Senator Dave Aronberg, who proposed a bill to increase electronic monitoring and create a uniform statewide limit that would keep them 1,500 feet away from places where children go.
'We need to know where these people are at all times," Aronberg said after CNN invited him to tour the bridge where the sex offenders live. "We need residency restrictions, but just don't have this hodgepodge of every city having something different."
State officials say unless the law changes their hands are tied, and for now the sex offenders will stay where they are: under a bridge in the bay.
http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/
First, let me get this out. I am totally against ANY form of abuse to any human being. And I believe anyone who murders another human being should be in prison for the rest of their life (until they die). I do not believe in the death penalty for anyone. Also, I believe that once a person has been in and out of prison and has served their probation and parole, done everything required of them, and what was signed on the "contract" when they took the plea, none of this should be required of them, none of it. The state cannot tear up a contract like this, which they are basically doing, it's unconstitutional. Many people, if they had known they would be faced with all this, they would have NOT taken a plea deal. And the courts are very aware of this and this is why they made it retroactive; thus violating ex-post facto laws! They should be allowed to get on with their life as if nothing happened. I'm not saying for it to be removed from their record, but, the crime should be removed from public view and background checks, they should not have any more restrictions, shaming, etc. If they commit another crime, then they face a lot more punishment, like everything else is treated.
When are we going to move away from being "TOUGH ON CRIME" and move to being "SMART ON CRIME?" If you locked every single sex offender up, at this moment, or killed every one of them, do you think the problem is over? No, more will follow.
I've heard many people say "If these laws protect one child, then they are worth it!" And at the same time, if millions are tortured, it's ok. Offenders are losing their homes, jobs, families, and children and cannot find new jobs or homes due to the insanity of these laws. The families are also made into outcasts for associating with or being related to an ex-offender and their own children are harassed and bullied at schools due to a family member being an ex-offender.
I know these laws are a sensitive issue, but as all issues, they must be discussed and we must come up with a valid solution that will work. The laws, as they exist now, DO NOT WORK! People are always saying they cause unintended consequences. These laws have been on the books for years now, so nothing is unintended anymore. When are we going to set aside fear, hate, rage and anger and come up with a real solution? History has proven that these feelings NEVER get good laws passed but only create bad ones that punish and torture many people. These knee-jerk reactions to a slim number of high-profile crimes, like Adam Walsh and Jessica Lunsford, MUST STOP!
When an ex-offender is forced to move from his/her home, thus having to sell it, cannot find another home within the law due to the residency "buffer" zones, get fired from their jobs due to being on the registry, cannot find a new job due to being on the registry, their husband/wife lose their jobs due to a significant other being on the registry, their children lose their friends and are harassed and bullied in school due to a family member being on the registry, thus destroying the children's lives, ex-offenders are forced into homelessness and to live under bridges, harassed by police, neighbors and probation/parole officers, have to wear "I'm a sex offender T-shirt" or have a neon green license plate on ALL their cars, have "sex offender" on their drivers license and forced to renew their licenses every year, forced from shelters during tornadoes or hurricanes, cannot give blood at some places due to being discriminated against for being on the sex offender registry, denied housing due to being on the registry, signs placed in their yards inviting harassment and ridicule from the neighbors, forced to move when the neighbors start picketing outside the ex-offenders home, the list is endless.
I THINK THIS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, BEYOND THE EXTREME!
Former offenders in this State have no idea if they are breaking these convoluted laws as they travel even short distances. Gov. Crist stated that one of his goals was to change wording in Fla. so that the people could understand. This has not happened yet.
I recommended that the State issue public service announcements on the FACTS about sex offender recidivism statistics and what the experts in the field of sex offender treatment and management have said about the best ways to prevent recidivism. I was told there was no "BUDGET" for that. I thought public service announcements were free. Not only that but there are numerous state web sites where truthful information could be posted. Whenever a Florida politician gives a speech (often) the truth could be told. Our public would not be demanding laws and ordinances that cause more harm than good if they were educated about the truth, instead of fed false information, or incomplete information to increase media ratings and get easy votes.
Senator Aronberg has taken the time to get educated. He has worked hard in the last several years to create bills that would increase public (especially children) safety through being SMART on this issue. Many of Florida's legislators saw the wisdom in Aronberg's bill and voted for it. There were some who refused. It is not surprising that one of the biggest objectors was Miami-Dade County.
They have passed THEIR responsibility for former offenders off to neighboring counties and more rural areas by enacting ordinances that make it impossible for former offenders to live there. The entire county is NIMBY but they don't seem to care that they are sending them to Others back yard, or creating a more dangerous situation in causing former offenders to be homeless or go underground.
We need to educate the public and we need to start being SMART on this terrible crime. Also, transitional housing would solve many of these problems...another SMART way to solve this problem.
No one needs to be "soft" on sex offenders. What we need to be is SMART on this terrible crime. We must listen to the experts.
The sex offender laws in Florida are cruel in its self. You dont know the bad people from the ones who "Just got set up" cause they put them all together. Why doesn't murders or robbers have to register? It so easy to set people up with the Law like it is, All anyone has to do is hust SAY they did something and then their lives and the lives of their family are ruined . They should not have to put restrictions on these people .. TELL the parents to pay closer attintion to their children and keep them off the streets and be PARENTS . and we would not have this problem. Can anyone tell me why the pros. and judges would want to put children on this registery ? What does a 4 to eight year old know about being a sex offender? children can't even hug their teachers anymore... Thats the problem in this world today you can't show or even teach your children Love anymore without some sick SOB turning it into something wrong, If you show your child love they display it. then get into trouble for it. whats wrong with a hug ??? People need to wake up these laws are crazy , When these people do their time leave them alone .. You never know which one has been wronly accused of this . It needs to be changed !!!
I have a family member who had to live under these conditions. Because of these restrictions and unreliable electronic anklets he has since been re-incarcerated for a violation of the parole. I'm sure when CNN conducted their interviews it was at least daytime. Its a completely different story when you go there at curfew time. I had to drop of my family member there and watch as they picked a spot to sleep. This was the most difficult inhumanity that I have ever seen. These laws seek to protect children but they are very mechanical so they are very unrealistic. For example, if the victim was 15 or even 13, why would the ordinance prohibit an offender from living near a daycare that only serves grade school children? Although a repeat offender is classified differently, the restrictions are the same. I am a law student and upon my graduation, I will be pushing for a more practical law because these law makers seem to be engaged in groupthink. These laws ignore the probability that many offenders took a plea and did not know of such rules, the offenders have families themselves, and, the offenders have no chance of getting back on with their lives. This is because none of the lawmakers have offenders in their family and have no idea of the absolute cruelty of these laws. Finally, not enough people care. The number of people who have posted to this blog is evidence of that.
Yes I agree---the laws re: sex offenders are stupid. Once a guy has paid his debt to society, he should be able to get on with his life and not be a prisoner outside of jail. Yes, it is a lot easier on these men just to go back to jail where they have a bed, shelter from the elements and 3 meals a day. And with all the teenage girls walking around and looking like they are 25, no wonder young men get arrested and thrown into prison. The state should lower the age of consent to 13. Alsothere is no job training in prison, so what can a man do for a living once he gets out of jail. There are no jobs for felons. They are screwed for the rest of their lives. If they are lucky, they will have a family and live with them, but with no jobs. And one of the other writers is right, if no one in their family is in prison, then the politicians and the public just don't care. The politicians pass these insane laws so they will look good and get re elected. And of course our national press doesn't care about this either so no one knows the private hell these guys go through. Nobody cares.........
i agree this law is very stupid expessually if the girl lies about her age,and it was all consentual.and it wasnt force on the girl its not rape then...and now his whole life is fucked up just because a girl wants to go and lie and say she older then she is and dress like shes 25 years old then i dont think the guys should be getting in trouble for all these lil hoes out here acting older and having sex with all these older guys is it fair for them to do this?its not right..if my child was out there doing this i would beat her ass not get him in trouble expessually if he didnt know her age.
I agree with what alot of people are saying, NO one knows the HELL the inocent guys are going through. I on the other hand can tell you first hand because MY HUSBAND IS ONE OF THESE MEN it is DAME hard for a man that was convicted of doing a sexual act on a child and there was no sexuel contact, but CHILDREN DON'T LIE yea right you show me a child that dosen't lie and I'll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. These Men that are falsley accused of this type of crime are condemed for the rest of their lives they can't get work any where, they are restricked from where they can live and so is there FAMILY. CHANGE THE F_ _ _ ING LAWS and leave the INOCENT alone.