Category: Sex Offender News

South Florida Employment Fair – Registrants Welcome!

South Florida Employment Fair – Registrants Welcome! Oct 11, 2022 | The Broward County Reentry Coalition will be hosting an Education & Employment Resource Expo tomorrow, Wednesday October 12, 2022, at 11:30 AM. The event is open to ALL (including those who are required to register) and will take place at the Day Reporting and Reentry Division, […]

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Austin sees hundreds of sex offender cases removed from police officer supervision due to defunding

Jan 10, 2022 | Hundreds of convicted sex offenders are no longer being monitored by sworn police officers in Austin, Texas due to the city’s move to defund the police and cut police academy classes. As of 2019, there were about 1,600 registered sex offenders in Austin according to the state’s sex offender database. There is […]

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Is the Sex Offender Registry Fair?

Jan 11, 2022 | The 1990s saw a significant rise in horrific sex offenses directed towards children, prompting the federal and state governments to formulate laws to help deter offenders and ensure public safety. One of these laws was the 1994 Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, requiring convicted offenders to […]

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Call to Action: Suggested guidelines for contacting the Florida Safety & Justice Task Force

Jan 14, 2022 | For those people who have asked for guidelines on what to send to the members of the newly appointed Florida Safety & Justice Task Force, I am posting my thoughts but would also like for others to add their own ideas in the Comments’ Section along with any research that you […]

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Bill containing very concerning changes to registry filed – SB 1932

Jan 11, 2022 | Yesterday, Senator Ed Hooper filed SB 1932, which is a 100+ page bill making significant changes to the registry. We have not gone through the bill yet, but one glaring and very concerning change is that the State makes it more difficult to petition for removal and now requires that FDLE […]

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ACSOL Files SORNA Regulations Complaint with DOJ’s Inspector General

  Jan 12, 2022 |  SOURCE: ACSOL The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today filed a complaint regarding the new SORNA regulations with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice. According to that complaint, the regulations are unlawful for several reasons. First, the regulations are not based on empirical evidence which […]

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Are Dating Apps Allowing In Registered Sex Offenders? A House Subcommittee Is Investigating

Are Dating Apps Allowing In Registered Sex Offenders? A House Subcommittee Is Investigatingby Florida Action Committee A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services. Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group and the Match Group, which owns such popular services as Tinder, Match.com […]

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Florida DOC to make NO CHANGE to visitation Rules. Weekend visits continue!

Jul 23, 2018 | From Florida Cares Charity Corp (www.floridacarescharity.org) “A victory for the incarcerated and their families – no visitation rule change!!!! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for all your time and effort as we stood together and opposed visitation cuts. Florida Cares just received notification from the JAPC that the time frame in which […]

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Adding Sex Offender Probation Conditions After Sentencing Not Permitted

Adding Sex Offender Probation Conditions After Sentencing Not Permitted Jul 19, 2018 | Reposted by Florida Action Committee Last week, the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Florida ruled that adding special sex offender conditions to probation after sentencing, where those conditions were expressly excluded at sentencing, doesn’t fly. In Jones v. State, Fla: Dist. Court […]

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Death Of Century Correctional Institution Inmate Under Investigation

Death Of Century Correctional Institution Inmate Under Investigation Jun 26, 2018 | Florida Action Committee A weekend inmate death at Century Correctional Institution is under investigation. Inmate Wesley C. Moore, 38, was pronounced deceased at the prison shortly after 7:00 p.m. Saturday. The death is currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with […]

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Sex Offender News August 2017

Recopied from Florida Action Committee Male Teacher at Oakleaf High (Florida) arrested on sex charge A 25-year-old teacher at Oakleaf High School faces a sex charge after he was arrested Tuesday amid an investigation into inappropriate text messages reported by a student’s parent, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities interviewed the girl, whose […]

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Public Health and Safety Complaint Lodged Against Forced Homeless Encampment

Recopied from Florida Action Committee Public Health and Safety Complaint Lodged Against Forced Homeless Encampment by Florida Action Committee FAC has reported a public health and safety concern to the Broward and Miami-Dade County Health Departments, the Florida Department of Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services and OSHA. The letter, which can be […]

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Notes from Federal Sentencing Seminar

Notes from Federal Sentencing Seminar by Florida Action Committee The following are notes from The Twenty-Sixth Annual National Seminar on Federal Sentencing sponsored by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, (www.NACDL.org) The Criminal Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, and the Criminal Justice Section of The American […]

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Private prison industry converts Florida inmates into very profitable commodities

Private prison industry converts Florida inmates into very profitable commodities The governor did not say, “Dammit … I’m getting to the bottom of this money-sucking private prison mess.” Rick Scott’s reticence might seem a bit out of character, given his self-crafted persona as Florida’s cold-blooded budget-cutting crusader. Here’s a guy who over the years has […]

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1 out of every 111 Adult Males in Florida is a Registered Sex Offender

1 out of every 111 Adult Males in Florida is a Registered Sex Offender The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children updated their “Sex Offender Map” and statistics in May, 2017 to account for the latest statistics. Our colleague from Virginia has put together an analysis of the new counts, which can be found here, […]

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Bill requires moving companies disclose employed sex offenders

Bill requires moving companies disclose employed sex offenders FORT MYERS, Fla. – When a mover comes to your house, do you know who you’re inviting in? A new Florida law wants to make sure you’re notified if a sex offender is working for the moving company you hire.Moving businesses we spoke with say they already have […]

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New Florida Internet Identifier Law Approved by Governor

New Florida Internet Identifier Law Approved by Governor Florida House Bill 699, which “[r]evises definition of term “Internet identifier”; defines “social Internet communication”; requires sexual predators & sexual offenders to register each Internet identifier’s corresponding website homepage or application software name with FDLE through sheriff’s office; requires sexual predators & sexual offenders to report any […]

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Florida Supreme Court: Cant search cellphone without a warrant.

Florida Supreme Court: Cant search cellphone without a warrant. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that Police need a warrant to search a cellphone – even if it is incident to an arrest. In the case of Carpenter v. Florida, a defendant was arrested when he traveled to meet who he thought was a minor […]

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Legal Update: SORR Challenge

Legal Update: SORR Challenge Many have been asking about the status of the SORR (Sex Offender Residency Restriction) Challenge which was recently reversed (in our favor) in the 11th Circuit (Federal Appellate Court). Trial in this case is scheduled for the two-week period commencing  Monday, March 19, 2018. Although that seems a while away and you […]

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22 arrested in Fort Lauderdale crackdown on sex offenders

22 arrested in Fort Lauderdale crackdown on sex offenders Some sex offenders have been living illegally in off-limit areas of Fort Lauderdale. But Operation Here Not There has swept up 22 suspects in six weeks, authorities said Tuesday. The city prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,400 feet of a school, school bus stop or […]

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Legislative changes to the sexual offender/predator registration

Legislative changes to the sexual offender/predator registration Attached is information on Legislative changes to the sexual offender/predator registration laws that became effective June 26, 2017. This PDF is also available at: http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/Important.jsp Se adjunta información sobre los cambios legislativos en las leyes de registro de delincuentes sexuales / depredadores que entraron en vigor el 26 […]

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Latest Updates & News

Guess the Gender… “St. Augustine teacher sentenced to six months in jail for sex with student” Let’s play “guess the gender”. I’ll give the background and you guess whether the perpetrator is male or female. From yesterday’s Florida Times Union (Jacksonville.com) “A 28-year-old former St. Augustine High School teacher was sentenced to six months in […]

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Signs will warn sex offenders to stay off school grounds

Signs will warn sex offenders to stay off school grounds Law enforcement officials will soon visit the homes of 760 sex offenders and 85 sexual predators in Marion County as part of a new program aimed at reminding convicted sex offenders that they are forbidden to be on the property of schools and child care […]

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City of Palm Bay to change how it handles sex offenders

City of Palm Bay to change how it handles sex offenders As if it were not hard enough to find a job… BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A court victory for the city of Palm Bay means homeowners could be protected from sex offenders working for contractors or delivery companies, city leaders said. From now on, […]

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Brevard/Seminole Prosecutor Arrested on Drug Charges. What should we do?

We don’t take pleasure in other’s tragedy or believe in kicking someone when they are down, so this post should not be taken the wrong way. Given the challenges we’ve had in Seminole and Brevard Counties with their outrageous proximity ordinances, it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of one of their Assistant State Attorneys […]

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Putnam County’s “Sex Offender Compliance” Specialist

You know how humiliating they are. The monthly “address verification” visits from police. You’re years off probation and haven’t had a single brush with the law since, but still the police show up at your doorstep to “verify” that you’re living or working where you’re supposed to. If you live in a municipality with some […]

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Suntree wants to ban sex offenders from living there

SUNTREE — The Suntree Master Homeowners Association, one of Brevard County’s largest residential developments, may soon have one of the strictest policies in the state when it comes to allowing sexual offenders and sexual predators to live there. The association is asking residents to amend its housing restrictive covenants, which would bar known sexual offenders and sexual predators […]

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Florida Appellate Court Clarifies Sexual Predators Designation for Repeat Offenders

The 5th District Court of Appeals of Florida, last week, entered an order clarifying when one can be enhanced to Sexual Predator status for a “second sexual offense”. The Defendant in the case challenged his designation as a Predator. He was arrested twice for the crime of procuring someone under the age of 18 for […]

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Weekly Updates

Weekly Updates – Florida Sex Offender One Stop Resource 11th Circuit Rules against Miami-Dade’s request for a rehearing in SORR Challenge Posted by fac-admin on December 8, 2016 in Articles, Featured Articles | 1 comment Miami-Dade County requested a rehearing on FAC’s appeal (which we won) in our sex offender residency restriction challenge. The 11th […]

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The challenge of elderly sex offenders

By the time deputies arrested Thomas Bernard Brown for failing to register as a sexual predator, he had built up a 10-year record of consistent registration in Marion County. That’s 42 check-ins, as his attorneys and his friends pointed out at a sentencing hearing in June. When it came to No. 43, Brown, 72, who […]

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State Department Replies to IML Petition

State Department Replies to IML Petition Posted by fac-admin on October 24, 2016 in Articles, Featured Articles Reposted By SOOSR The State Department has modified the Final Rule it published on September 2, 2016, regarding implementation of the International Megan’s Law (IML).  The modification corrects the erroneous statement in the Rule regarding whose passports will bear a […]

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Without You We Would Not be Reading This

Posted by fac-admin on October 1, 2016 in Articles, Featured Articles | 2 comments Today is October 1, 2016. A day we will forever celebrate. There are many significant dates every year where we recognize important events. We celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, civil and religious holidays. We commemorate historic events, both good and bad, such […]

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Preliminary Injunction GRANTED!!!

Posted by fac-admin on September 27, 2016 The Judge’s Order was just filed in our Motion seeking to enjoin the enforcement of the Internet Identifier changes and WE WON!!! Here is an excerpt from the decision: The definition is hopelessly vague, chills speech protected by the First Amendment, and is far broader than necessary to […]

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Department of State Revoking Offender Passports

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 171 (Friday, September 2, 2016)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 60608-60609] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2016-21087] ======================================================================= ———————————————————————– DEPARTMENT OF STATE 22 CFR Part 51 [Public Notice: 9678] RIN 1400-AD97 Passports AGENCY: State Department. ACTION: Final rule. ———————————————————————– SUMMARY: This final […]

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Polygraph Requirement Violates Registrant’s 5th Amendment Rights

In September of 2015 SOSEN printed an article about parole and probation http://sosen.org/blog/2015/09/01/probation-and-parole-the-real-story.html. Within that article the author pointed out some of the myths that parole and probation (PNP) and sometimes even the court uses to increase the loss of civil liberties beyond their constitutionally legal boundaries. It pointed out problems probation and even the […]

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US Dept of Justice Report backs up advocates claims of ineffective registration policies

Posted by fac-admin on June 7, 2016 in Articles, Featured Articles | 2 comments A July report issued by the US Department of Justice’s SMART office (Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking) backed up most of what advocacy groups such as the Florida Action Committee have been saying for years; that […]

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Sex Offenders Rally to Fight Discriminatory Laws

Loaded on FEB. 2, 2016 by Mark Wilson published in Prison Legal News February, 2016, page 18 Filed under: Sex Offender Registration, Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Sex Offender Residence, Advocacy, Release and Reentry, Parole Conditions, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Location: United States of America. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on G+ […]

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Interested in being a plaintiff in our internet identifier challenge?

Posted by fac-admin on June 2, 2016 Our attorneys are still screening potential plaintiffs for our Internet Identifier challenge which will be filed next month. We are looking to intake as many prospective plaintiffs as possible. If you are (a) no longer on probation/parole, (b) committed an offense prior to the passage of the restriction […]

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Former Offender Re-Entry Programs and Resources in Florida

 This is a list of resources for ex-offenders in Florida to get help them reintegrate back into society by helping them find jobs, housing, and develop work skills. Ex-offenders face a variety of barriers as they attempt to re-enter society after serving their prison sentence. Individuals with criminal backgrounds often find it difficult to obtain […]

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CASTRATION OF SEX OFFENDERS

Topic: SENTENCING; CRIME; CRIMINALS; SEX CRIMES; Location: SEX OFFENDERS;     February 21, 2006 2006-R-0183 By: Sandra Norman-Eady, Chief Attorney You asked for background information on states that allow or require sex offenders to be castrated. SUMMARY Eight states allow chemical or surgical castration of sex offenders. They are: California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, […]

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Florida group sues Seminole County, sheriff over sex-offender rules

Martin E. ComasContact Reporter Staff Writer Seminole County sex-offender law too vague, group alleges in lawsuit An organization that works to reform sex-offender laws in Florida is suing Seminole County and Sheriff Don Eslinger, alleging that a decade-old county ordinance is so restrictive that it prevents registered sex offenders from traveling to a grocery store, eating […]

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Do Florida Sex Offender Registration Requirements Go Too Far?

Do Florida Sex Offender Registration Requirements Go Too Far? Most would agree that requiring those convicted of molesting and abusing young children to register with local authorities has resulted in safer communities. Likewise, laws dictating where convicted child molesters may live and work have likely prevented numerous crimes against children. That being the case, some […]

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