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 said, some would also argue that tighter regulation and stricter laws would yield even better results. But the truth of the matter is that the sex offender laws in Florida and other states go much further than just punishing those who have been deemed the most dangerous offenders; these laws equally punish and stigmatize those who made a one-time mistake, such as an 18-year-old who had consensual sex with their underage girlfriend or boyfriend.

Recent Backlash Against Florida Sex Offender Laws

Recently, there has been some backlash against the reach of these laws as more members of the public and government have become aware of how overboard sex offender registration regulations have become. For example, State Attorney General Bill McCollum expressed his concerns that some of the county ordinances restricting where convicted sex offenders may live have gone too far.

But for every person who raises a concern about the fairness and justness of current sex offender registration requirements, there are many more calling for the state to pass even harsher penalties. This is especially true at the local level in Florida, where counties and municipalities have been taking steps to expand the scope of their local sex offender ordinances.

Florida Sex Offender Registration Requirements

Florida has some of the most restrictive sex offender registration and sentencing laws in the nation. Under Florida law, there are two separate designations for those convicted of crimes mandating sex offender registration: sexual predators and sexual offenders.

Florida's Sexual Predator Status

The state reserves the sexual predator designation for the most dangerous offenders who have been convicted of a capital, life, or first-degree felony sex crime, or two or more second-degree felony sex crimes. The court must issue a written finding designating a person as a sexual predator.

Life-Long Sex Offender Registration

Current law requires life-time registration for those who have been convicted of certain crimes. These crimes include:

• Kidnapping
• False imprisonment
• Luring or enticing a child
• Sexual battery
• Unlawful sexual activity with certain minors
• Procuring person under age of 18 for prostitution
• Selling or buying of minors into sex trafficking or prostitution
• Lewd or lascivious offenses committed upon or in the presence of persons less than 16 years of age
• Lewd or lascivious offenses committed upon or in the presence of an elderly person or disabled person
• Sexual performance by a child
• Computer pornography
• Transmission of pornography by electronic device or equipment
• Transmission of material harmful to minors to a minor by electronic device or equipment
• Selling or buying of minors
• Sexual misconduct

If the sex offender has been released from incarceration, then he or she is required to register in-person with the local sheriff's department within 48 hours of establishing residency in the state. If the offender is still in the custody of a Florida prison or jail, then the institution will handle the registration.

What information do sex offenders have to provide to register in Florida?

Some of the information the offender is required to provide includes:

• Name
• Age
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Height
• Weight
• Race
• Gender
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Current residential address
• Current workplace address
• A recent photograph
• Fingerprints
• Description of the crime committed, including when and where it was committed and the sentence they received

Registration Requirements for Sex Offenders Visiting Florida

If a person who was convicted as a sex offender in another state visits Florida for more than three days in a calendar year, they must register as a sex offender in Florida with 48 hours of entering the state.

Registration Requirements for Sex Offenders Moving to Florida

Those who have been convicted of an offense mandating registration as a sex offender in another state must also register with the Florida sex offender registry upon moving to Florida. In some cases, those who keep a permanent residence in another state but work or go to school in Florida also must register as a sex offender.

Penalties for Failure to Join the Florida Sex Offender Registry

The information provided by the sex offender—their picture—is made available to the public in an on-line database. Those who fail to register, provide incomplete or false information, or fail to meet any of the other legal requirements imposed upon them will be charged with a third-degree felony and may be sentenced to additional jail time and other penalties.

Florida Residency & Work Restrictions

Both state and local laws impose restrictions on where certain convicted sex offenders may live after serving their sentence. Florida state law prohibits those convicted of certain sex crimes against a child under 16 years of age from living within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, playground, park, or other place commonly frequented by children.

That said, certain county and municipal ordinances impose even more restrictive residency requirements. For example, in Miami-Dade County, some registered sex offenders are prohibited from living within 2,500 feet of a school, day care center, park, or playground. The county also recently added “child safety zones” to its ordinance, which prohibits sex offenders from loitering within the 300 feet of schools, day cares, parks, and school bus stops.

The Miami-Dade ordinance has received national attention for effectively forcing sex offenders into homelessness, with over 70 offenders living underneath the Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge.

Currently, there more than 160 municipalities in Florida that impose greater residency restrictions on convicted sex offenders than required by state law.

State law also places restrictions on where certain registered sex offenders may work. In cases where the victim was a minor, sex offenders cannot volunteer or work at any business, school, day care, park, playground, or other place where children regularly are present.

Are Florida sex offender laws unconstitutional?

Sex offenders are treated uniquely under state and federal laws as the only offenders whose punishment does not end once they have completed their court-imposed sentence. For many, the punishments they suffer after finishing their sentences are much harsher than those they received from a judge.

While the state's interest in monitoring the activities of the most dangerous offenders and limiting their contact with children is understandable, the law also makes it difficult for those who do not pose a risk of reoffending to re-enter society and attempt to re-establish their lives. Florida and other states need to recognize that not everyone who has been labeled as a sex offender poses the same risk to society, and treating them all the same is a grave injustice.

Florida Sex Offender Lawyers Can Help

If you or a loved one have been accused of a sex offense in Florida, contact an experienced sex offender lawyer today at 386-222-6677.