Weekly Updates

(Weekly Update #198) Dear Members and Advocates, Last week the Brevard County Commissioners voted to add public meetings to the exemption of their proximity ordinance. The decision was largely kept under the radar and is still quite vague, since there was no proposed language to vote on – just a conceptual idea that they would add an exemption. Many members,

(Weekly Update #197) Dear Members and Advocates, It is hard to discuss nomination of a Supreme Court Justice without walking on eggshells, worrying that readers will take it to be political commentary. Ironically, the role of a Supreme Court Justice requires that the holder of the position be fair and impartial. So how did the topic become so polarizing? It

(Weekly Update #196) Dear Members and Advocates, We dodged a bullet. Or, to make a more proportionate reference, we dodged a missile. Senate Bill 1932 went nowhere this legislative session and is officially dead. SB 1932 would have made some incredibly burdensome changes to the registry, the worst of which would have amended the definition of day to be any

(Weekly Update #195) Dear Members and Advocates, This week marks the final week in the 2022 Florida Legislative Session and we are pleased to see that so far we have been successful in our efforts to prevent some of the more concerning bills from moving forward. We will wait for the session to officially close before making any final determinations

(Weekly Update #193) 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 issue, that

(Weekly Update #192) Dear Members and Advocates, Unless you are part of a marginalized group, the constant fear and apprehension that comes with being profiled and stereotyped is inconceivable. I am not African-American, so the phrase “driving while black” to describe the racial profiling of African-American drivers that lead to unwarranted traffic stops and automatic suspicion does not apply to

(Weekly Update #191) Dear Members and Advocates, This week’s update will provide a deeper dive into the order issued last week in the Ex Post Facto Plus II challenge. We begin with some relevant history. Four years ago (yes, it’s been four), we helped initiate a lawsuit in Federal Court to challenge the retroactive application of certain requirements of the

(Weekly Update #190) Dear Members and Advocates, This week’s update is quick and straight to the point. We are in the midst of battle. Going up against some very harsh bills this legislative session and we need more soldiers to help. That is by no means meant to detract from the incredible work that our legislative team has done this

  (Weekly Update #188) Dear Members and Advocates, Every few years, the Florida legislature enacts sweeping changes to its sex offender registry. Remember 2014, which Don Gaetz called the “scorched earth” year for registrants? How about 2018 when Lauren Book reduced the reporting period from 5 days to three? Well 2022 is shaping up to offer another huge kick in

(Weekly Update #187) Dear Members and Advocates, This is a story I’ve waited years to tell. I wasn’t able to write about it while his case was pending, but now I am free to. Sadly, it’s a true story and it’s a cautionary tale of how far someone will go to shut down an advocate for our cause. Chapter 1.