Category: Sex Offender Laws Updates

Member Submission: Smith v Doe Turns 20

Member Submission: Smith v Doe Turns 20 Mar 10, 2023 | NOTE: FAC’s position is complete abolishment of the registry. While this submission does not necessarily reflect the views of FAC, we are sharing one member’s thoughts on the registry for your consideration. March 7, 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of Smith v Doe, the […]

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Is Florida protecting parents’ rights? Some might say no.

Is Florida protecting parents’ rights? Some might say no. Mar 13, 2023 | 1 comment We have all heard so much about the Parental Rights in Education Bill that was passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor DeSantis.  But only one very small part of that bill has been in the news.  There […]

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A Blogger Registry. Really?

Member Submission: A Blogger Registry. Really? Mar 13, 2023 | 5 comments Governor Ron DeSantis is under attack for suggesting a registry for bloggers who write about him or his administration. He’s now distanced himself from the proposed law. He says he had nothing to do with it. Whether he did or did not isn’t the question. […]

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CALL TO ACTION: Wording has been changed in HB 1085 and NOT for the better

Dear Members and Advocates, CALL TO ACTION: Wording has been changed in HB 1085 and NOT for the better This Wednesday (March 15) at 3:00 pm this proposed committee substitute (PCS) will be considered. Make your calls today or leave messages after hours. HB 1085 is in the House Transportation & Modals Subcommittee where the […]

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NARSOL: FL sheriff posts “blue & red house” map on Facebook, ignores threats to registrants

NARSOL: FL sheriff posts “blue & red house” map on Facebook, ignores threats to registrants Jun 15, 2022 | “I’m worried for my family,” he wrote. “Today the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office decided to put a picture of a map of all the houses where registered citizens live on its Facebook page. The comments that […]

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Nursing home background-check bill sees strong opposition

A bill that would require long-term care facilities to check if prospective residents have a criminal history or are on the sex offender registry before they are admitted drew some heated opposition Wednesday from organizations representing providers and an advocate for abolishing the sex offender registry. At one point, Anwar and Cindy Prizio, executive director One […]

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‘Miya’s Law’ heading to Governor’s desk

The Senate Friday took up and unanimously passed Sen. Linda Stewart’s “Miya’s Law” (SB 898) for the second time, this time with a late amendment message from the House that calls for a ban of rent-by-the-hour hotel and motel rooms. “Miya’s Law” would require apartment owners to conduct criminal background checks on employees who could enter apartments.

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SB 1798 “Sexually Related Offenses” heads to Governor’s Desk

SB 1798 has passed the Senate and is heading to the Governor for signature. The bill does the following: “Increasing the monetary damages that an aggrieved person may receive as a result of violations relating to sexual cyberharassment; revising the prohibition on sexual activities with animals; prohibiting the willful and malicious promotion of certain sexual […]

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Weekly Update 2022-03-01

Dear Members and Advocates, Last week something pretty amazing happened. Justice Sotomayor made a statement respecting the denial of certiorari in a case concerning sex offender residency restrictions. The case itself was not picked up by the Court (very few are), but Justice Sotomayor was so compelled to share her thoughts and opinions on the […]

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Biden’s SCOTUS nominee once argued judicial system is ‘unfair’ to sexual predators

  Jackson argued the unconstitutionality of certain preventative measures adopted as common practices by state governments and applied to confirmed sex offenders. Per the Harvard Law Review article “Prevention Versus Punishment: Toward a Principled Distinction in the Restraint of Released Sex Offenders,” she argued that America’s judicial approaches might be unfair to sex offenders. “This Note critiques […]

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Stop this new FDOC rule

We need help stopping a new rule that would prevent lawyers from arranging legal calls with people who are incarcerated unless they already represent them. Proposed by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), this rule will make it difficult or impossible for individuals who are currently incarcerated to consult with lawyers. For instance: It would be difficult for […]

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Great Decision: Butts County Sheriff’s Halloween Signs Violate the First Amendment.

Great Decision: Butts County Sheriff’s Halloween Signs Violate the First Amendment. A great decision just out from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (FLORIDA’S CIRCUIT 🙂 ). The signs Butts County (Georgia) Sheriff posted in front of registrant’s homes right before Halloween are compelled speech and violate the First Amendment. This is a great decision, for multiple […]

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Bill proposes to change definition of “day”

They’re doing it again to us. Bill proposes to change definition of “day” Jan 18, 2022 | Senate bill 1932, filed by Senator Hooper, once again seeks to change the definition of “day”. The language, contained in the definition of “Permanent Residence”, “Temporary Residence” or “Transient Residence” states, “A day includes any part of a calendar day.” […]

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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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FAC Update

Dear Members and Advocates, I’m worried about my memory. I’m starting to forget things and I imagine it will get worse as I get older. I’m not talking about the momentary lapses like calling my kid by my dog’s name or the innocent oversights, like forgetting to pick up my in-laws at the airport. Those […]

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11th Circuit: Civilly Committed still have rights

Nov 16, 2020 | 10 comments The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, in part, the complaint of an individual civilly committed in the Florida civil commitment center. The plaintiff, who remains confined despite completing his sentence, sued Geo group (contracted by the state to provide transport services) for, among other things, not giving him a bathroom […]

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Florida Court Decisions from Last Week

Florida Court Decisions from Last Week Jun 12, 2018 | 42 comments Last week the Florida Supreme Court rendered an opinion in Levandoski v. State a case that resolved the conflict between the 1st and 4th District Court of Appeals over whether ‘sex offender probation’ conditions had to be disclosed to the defendant at sentencing. The Supreme Court upheld […]

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WHY SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES KEEP GROWING EVEN AS SEXUAL VIOLENCE RATES FALL

WHY SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES KEEP GROWING EVEN AS SEXUAL VIOLENCE RATES FALL Lists that include out-of-state visitors are inflating the numbers and keeping fear at a boil. Quentin (not his real name) was convicted eight years ago of child pornography possession in Florida. He served his time and has since moved to another state. But […]

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Wilton Manors, FL to consider tying business licenses to employee background checks

Wilton Manors, FL to consider tying business licenses to employee background checks Jul 5, 2018 | Reposted from Florida Action Committee The reaction following the discovery that a person required to register as a sex offender was a long-time employee of the Pride Center in Wilton Manors (a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, FL), has gone from […]

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FL: GOV. RICK SCOTT SIGNS TWO SEX OFFENDER BILLS INTO LAW

  [UPDATED LINKS 3/26/18] [flsenate.gov, spacecoastdaily.com]As reported on spacecoastdaily.com State website links: https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/01301 CS/HB 1301: Sexual Offenders and Predators.  GENERAL BILL by Justice Appropriations Subcommittee ; Fitzenhagen ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Hager ; Spano Sexual Offenders and Predators; Reducing aggregate & consecutive number of days used to determine residency for purposes of sexual predator or sexual offender […]

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FAC Letter Opposing Jackson County, FL Sex Offender Registry Restriction

by Florida Action Committee | Apr 2, 2018 Below is a copy of the letter from FAC to the Commissioners of Jackson County, Florida, who are considering expanding their sex offender residency restriction to 2500 feet. A public meeting will be held in on April 10, 2018 in Marianna, FL to discuss the proposed change. We would appreciate […]

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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Sex Offender Residency Restriction Declared Unconstitutional

The Ft Lauderdale Sex Offender Residency Restriction was declared unconstitutional. Wait… what?!?! A Florida SORR was declared unconstitutional? YES! The municipal ordinance in the City of Ft. Lauderdale that prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 1400 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds, school bus stops, etc. was found to violate the Ex Post Facto Clause […]

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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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Are sex offender registries reinforcing inequality?

Are sex offender registries reinforcing inequality? by Florida Action Committee | The following are excerpts from this article. Offenders convicted of sex crimes are now singled out for surveillance and restrictions far more punitive than those who commit other types of crime. More than 800,000 Americans are now registered sex offenders. Tracking them has created a booming surveillance industry. Studies have found that rates in […]

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Male Teacher at Oakleaf High (Florida) arrested on sex charge

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 age was not listed, and […]

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Threats to arrest convicted sex offenders at City Union Mission prompt federal lawsuit

Recopied from Florida Action Committee Threats to arrest convicted sex offenders at City Union Mission prompt federal lawsuit The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is targeting some sex offenders for arrest at the City Union Mission because it sits near a park, according to a federal lawsuit alleging that the practice violates the charity’s constitutionally protected […]

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Amended Complaint Filed in Florida Internet Identifier Challenge

Amended Complaint Filed in Florida Internet Identifier Challenge On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, an amended complaint was filed in the legal challenge to Florida’s “Internet Identifier” registration requirements that is pending in Federal Court in the Northern District of Florida. The original complaint was filed to challenge the 2014 and 2016 versions of this law. […]

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Florida Internet Identifier Challenge Allowed to Proceed

Florida Internet Identifier Challenge Allowed to Proceed The Federal District Court Judge presiding over the Internet identifier lawsuit is allowing the case to proceed despite the State of Florida’s claim that they amended the statute (the definition of Internet identifiers) and the suit is now Moot. Among other motions for both sides that the judge […]

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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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