Did you know? – Changing Drivers Licenses for TEMPORARY Address
Florida Sex Offender Laws
By now we all know (hopefully) that when visiting Florida, or staying at a temporary location for five (5) or more days, a sex offender is required to register where they are staying as a “temporary address”. But did you know that in addition to going to the local sheriff and registering, you are also required to go to the DMV and get a new driver’s license/ID?
Who would have thought, right?
It was just brought to our attention that even registering a temporary address triggers the requirement that you go down to the DMV drivers license office also.
Florida Statutes 943.0435 states:
(4)(a) Each time a sexual offender’s driver’s license or identification card is subject to renewal, and, without regard to the status of the offender’s driver’s license or identification card, within 48 hours after any change in the offender’s permanent, temporary, or transient residence or change in the offender’s name by reason of marriage or other legal process, the offender shall report in person to a driver’s license office, and shall be subject to the requirements specified in subsection (3).
So say you live in another state and plan to take a family trip to Florida for winter break, plan to spend half a day at the sheriff’s office to register and another half day at the driver’s license office getting your license or ID card. Say you live in North Florida and plan on visiting your parents in Boca Raton for 5 days, you’ll need to BOTH go to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to register your temporary location AND go to the DHSMV to change your driver’s license, even though you have a Florida license with the designation on it!
I have suffered through the hassle and EXPENSE of having to change my temporary address on my Florida License. This is a ridiculous requirement!!
Sounds like you’d want to spend a few days at one temp residence and the remaining days at another (maybe use two different hotels?). Does the DHSMV put the temporary addresses somewhere on your license or do they just keep it on record? They don’t issue you a whole new license with this temporary address on it (thus, invalidating your existing license), do they?
That’s a good plan.
If you have family to stay with for 4 nights and a hotel to stay at for the remainder of your trip, you should be OK.
DHSMV issues you a new license (or ID) and charges you for it. When you get back to your permanent location, you have to get your license updated again.
One of our members just inquired and we had to look into it for the first time. It was so inconceivably absurd a process that we never knew it was even a requirement!
Since your temp residence is not legally TEMPORARY until you’ve been there for five days, if you decided to leave on the sixth day (and you are still within your 48 hour window to report), you wouldn’t be able to honestly report the temporary address because you are leaving it today. So, would you only be potentially busted for it if you remained at the temp address for a full seven days (address became legally temporary and then you neglected within the next 48 hours to report)?
It is absurd indeed.
These frequent in person requirements is one of the very same thing Snyder was won upon by the aclu in Michigan.
Ray, no they dont they is a place for them to enter a temp address on the computer that does not physically change or alter the physical lic.
WHEN IS “ENOUGH,,, ENOUGH” ????????. Florida as well as Many other States (because of their constant changing and ADDING of Laws and Restrictions) is gonna cause 1 of 3 things to happen !!! #1, Gonna cause a Mass SUICIDE on a Global Scale, Or #2. Gonna cause people to REVOLT AND FIGHT BACK !!!!! Or #3. BOTH !! Some will just “Give Up and End it all”, Or Most will say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, And Start fighting back with VIOLENCE !!. You can only push any Animal (what we are considered !!) Or Human(which we are NOT considered) so far before we SNAP !!! AND Fight to get out of the corner we are forced into !!. . 99% of us are just TRYING TO LIVE a descent life, And all the “Government” is trying (and doing!!!) Is CONTINUE to apply MORE AND MORE PUNISHMENT onto us !!!! IT’S TIME FOR IT TO CHANGE !!! In our Country’s past it’s taken ALOT of Blood being spilt to get things changed, I believe it’s time to Fight for change again !! It only takes 1 GENERATION for people to FORGET how many lives were lost for the Freedom we (supposed to) have today !!!. I truly believe people have FORGOTTEN about The CONSTITUTION and what it (supposed to) represent !!!. Added punishment AFTER someone has COMPLETED THEIR SENTENCE is WRONG, ILLEGAL, IMMORAL, EVIL, NASTY, And just plain out DIRTY !!. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !!!. We are NOT the ones commiting new Sex Crimes !! It’s people that are NOT ON THE REGISTERY !!! Wake Up
It’s not a requirement, just another punishment.
Just don’t stay in a county more than 48 hours
Who are the idiots in FL government who came up with this winner?? FL statute 943.0435
Seems like vindictiveness. Or stupidity. Or both.
At 35 bucks a pop in Orange county I can see why the state would want to hold on to this burden some requirement.
Also registrants practically have to save up to meet the DMV requirements on a planned move. Can this be requirement me challenged as it puts more of a burden on someone who’s under employed or made unemployable by the registry. There is absolutely no need for a completely new drivers license or ID because you slept somewhere else for 5 days. I see it 4 ways 1 the state trying to gain revenue 2 from those who can least afford it (punishment) 3 with the threat of jail or prison (more punishment) 4 and wanting the registrant to do law enforcements job for them again. A money maker for every county and state you visit
This is unacceptable stupidity of epic proportions!
It is CLEAR that at this point (and for some time now) that Florida is ONLY interested in seeing how far they can go with these additional punishments and not only for those stuck in Florida but for those even stepping foot in the state.
These are unnecessary and overly complicated and why?
So they can violate people and keep the prison system full. It is clear that is part of the state business plan at this point.
It has NOTHING to do with child safety and everything to do with money – Period.
I agree many years ago when I was in prison a superintendent at that prison told my dad that the prison system is a money making business. Look at the money family members send for canteen and other items.
Not sure how all us RSO get to really stand together except for to do a march on Tallahassee for those of us not on probation.
Remember they cannot see our emails because their rights are being violated right now with no internet access the FAC is a great place to start but that of us that can afford to donate have to ,I have and will do more
I want my drivers license not to say Sexual predator because I was forced to accept it in my plea deal and the court ordered it. That is the first thing that I have finally just made me say enough is enough.
You nailed it my man. Until you can cut off the state’s money flow with the prison industry, nothing, and I do mean NOTHING is going to change for the better. Whether it’s sex offenders, drug offenders, or any of us. As long as the state and the politicians and legal system all benefit financially from the industry, nothing will ever change. You can bank on it. Our efforts are futile.
Here’s an idea, how about you just go on your trip, do none of that bullshit, and drive the sleep limit wherever you’re at so you don’t get pulled over and found out. That’s what I would do anyway. How in the hell would anyone at the sheriffs office even know you went somewhere. Gimme a break
Here’s why just leaving without letting the Sheriff know, 99% of the time, You will probably be fine, BUT, Say you get into an accident ??? Then the cop runs your license ???!!!!!. Guess what !!!, You’re on a one way trip to HELL !!. I’ve been stopped for stupid things and THANK GOD I had my travel papers !!. . Just leaving the state without “Complying” with the “Punishment” is NOT a Good idea !!!. There are all kinda stupid things that could get you “Caught”!!!. Then your problems would just multiply !!. Not to mention, A couple years in Prison !!!. Instead of trying to “Skirt” around these ILLEGAL LAWS, Let’s Band together and FIGHT TO CHANGE THEM !!.
Not for nothing but a thought came to mind you go for 2 or 3 day trip you end up in hospital either due to car accident or emergency suitation you end up for more than 5 or more days in a hospital. Will you get arrested for this unforeseen situation?
Not if you register. If you don’t register you are subject to arrest.
Ok if you are in a hospital because of a bad accident you cannot go register at the sheriffs office in person am I to assume they will come to me ?
I live in a county that I have no trouble if I go to visit my family for the weekend I just let the sheriffs office know I am going so it is in the system just in case
Even though I don’t have to.
But if you stay in a different county more than 48 hours I believe you must register unless you leave that county and then return to it later
Larry – the statute says you must report IN PERSON to change any permanent temporary or transient address. The “IN PERSON” is in caps.
We all know that the requirements are as confusing for law enforcement as they are for the registrant and that you can ask three different people and get three different answers when it comes to SO restrictions. However, the “IN PERSON” part appears in the statute.
I am hoping the authors of this article missed something.
The DMV requirement makes no sense.
Just register the temporary address with law enforcement at home and in visiting city/county. Right?
Not according to the Sheriff’s office in Brevard or the FDLE. After adding a temporary address at the Sheriff’s, you must also go to the DMV to add it there.
It is absolutely absurd.
FAC will be requesting clarification from FDLE in a letter, but we won’t hold our breath waiting for an answer.
FAC has requested clarification: https://floridaactioncommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FDLE-Temporary-Address-Inquiry.pdf
Just had an RC neighbor, off papers, return from a one week vacation to St. Augustine. He went in person to Sherriff and was informed to go to the DMV to inform of temporary address showing the temporary registration paper issued, which he did. The Fl DMV office issued a letter ‘to show that you reported to the Office of Alachua County tax Collector (D87)to obtain/update your Florida Drivers License or identification card as required in s. 775.21 (6) Florida Statutes.
At the time of reporting, a Florida drivers license or identification card could not be issued because you could not produce the required documentation or payment to secure or update a Florida drivers license or identification card.”
Documentation required is identification documents, residency documents payment of fees.
The letter further goes on to state that the issuance of the letter DOES NOT fulfill the requirements to obtain or update a Florida drivers license or identification card as required in s. 775.2(6) F.S.. Failure to comply with this requirement is a felony in the 3rd degree punishable in sections 775.082, 775.083 or 775.084F.S.
When he checked on the FDLE website upon arriving in at St. Augustine, he noted that the site was updated with his ‘temporary’ address. Anyway, he went on vacation with this done and is now back, He reported within the 48 hours of returning . NO need to return to the DMV.
This letter is dated Oct 27, 2017 at 12:04:16.
which would be impossible to do in person if you were in a hospital bed for more than 5 days.
What in God’s name do you do about this once it’s long past and you did not goto the dmv about a temp address????
I have been doing this since I got off of Parole in 2013. I work for the same company that I worked for before my offence, they don’t judge me for my past bad choice. I have to travel to different cities and counties in at least three different states. All I had to do was first, go to the police agency that controls the registry, tell them the address in the state and county that I will be staying at. If I’m going to be there , and this is where I’m not sure , for three days or more I have to go to the driver’s license department and ask to have a temporary address added to my ” license”. They charge me 6 dollars and and a few cents for every “temporary address” that I will need to be living at. If I have a new or different address to claim, I have to go back and add it to my “driver’s license record/file ” that they keep in their computer about me. They, the driver’s license clerk, will also ask me if I have any temporary address that I no longer use, if so, they will then remove it from my “license record of temporary addresses. It is very confusing…and it’s just one more think that I have to memorize in order to stay this side of Prison. I hope this helps to clear up the temporary addresses additional requirements.
CORRECTION!
As long as you do not move you can also have a temp address without changing your drivers lic. I have paperwork on that from state attorney buried somewhere as i was arrested for failure to register and 1 year later failure to update change lic. both times state dismissed the charges and also advised police that a person can have 2 or 3 temp address so long as they do not actually move from their perm. address
Please share that paperwork with us. An FAC member is dealing with this issue presently and both the registration office in the relevant county and the FDLE advised otherwise. If you have paperwork, it would be extremely helpful to his case and anyone else who is dealing with this.
I am in Orange County, and have listed a temporary address before. At the registration they asked me for the address, and how long I might be using it. I used 6 months at the time, but did not “move” there just said that sometimes I might be staying there. I really didn’t use it that often, but I never had a problem. I never had any problems with it, and the person that lives there never said anything about police randomly stopping by or anything of that nature.
It seems like yet ANOTHER really gray area that is purposely made ambiguous so they can shape it to their needs on a per-case basis.
We should all legally change our names to the same thing. A popular name that is indexed very well in google.
Example:
Ron Book Males
Lauren Book Females
or Representative Christopher Smith who authored IML
This would completley render the registry useless as all names would be the same.
Also, what would happen, if we all just started registering temporary addresses. Like a ton of them, starting with Ron Books address or neighbor to Lauren Book?
Headlines: 60,000 SO’s in State of Florida in Bed with Ron Book and Daughter Lauren.
LMAO
now that’s FUNNY !!!! thank you i really needed a laugh !
NEWS FLASH !! A SEX OFFENDER OR PREDATOR CANNOT CHANGE THEIR NAME !!!. That law passed many years ago !!!.
1st Sarcasm…. and your fact statement is not very accurate. Do not pass go and no monoply for you unless you lighten up.
Move to another state. Wait the minimum time period to change name. Then do it.
ROFL! LOVE IT!!!!!!
Sadly we can’t even get every registrant to to give $1 towards each legal campaign in progress to take down the registry one piece at a time. If every registrant gave for example $1 per month each year we probably be done with the whole registry Thing by now. The number of lawsuits we could deal with would be enough to make a serious dent in the registry and could have expedited getting the registry taken down much sooner. I do like this mindset of everybody got together to make the registry completely irrelevant through still legal methods.
Its unreal, stupidity at the highest level here. There really does need to be some sort of revolt. Imagine yourself doing one of these jobs at the Sheriffs office or DMV, I’d have to quit, and that would have been before I knew what I know now about this debacle.
If you come from another state for 5 days or more you also must surrender your out of state license to get a Florida license. You are also put on the Florida website for LIFE.
You can also get a Florida ID card without surrendering your home-state’s DL
If you register in FL you are on FOR LIFE even if you’re here only 5 days.
And this is the reason any sane person would NEVER enter one foot into the state without the law being changed or repealed.
All it takes is a vehicle breakdown, missing a bus, having a medical emergency or some other situation to cause a delay in getting back out of the state in time.
Think about this: If you enter the state for 1 day, get identified by law enforcement for ANY REASON, then leave the same day.. then a week later or even a month later you re-enter the state only to have law enforcement pull you over, or simply run a plate or identify you for any reason, you will now have to find a way to defend yourself and prove your innocence as they will almost certainly say you’ve been in the state long enough to trigger registration but failed to do so. And the punishment for that, well is not a slap on the wrist.
If I ever were to visit Florida, it would would be with the understanding I would be forever tied to the state and listed on the registry for life and locked into a hellish landmine of registration gotcha. Needless to say I don’t step foot in Florida and it absolutely pisses me off to see people on the registry visit florida. Your “vacation” is not worth it. If you have family there, well, if they want to see you, they should visit YOU in your state. It’s not worth your entire life possibly thrown away.
Additionally, FL has some of the most corrupt cops anywhere in the country. It’s simply not worth it. If you are off paper, get out, stay out!
Why would any RC want to come to Florida in the first place? My advice is don’t come to Florida. If you have family here, have them come to you.
so, if i come for vacation to florida and only spend 2 days here and then go to the keys for 3 days, and drive back home, do i need to register anywhere. staying at hotels only. is it 5 days in one location or 5 days in florida no matter where you go
“Temporary residence” means a place where the person abides, lodges, or resides, including, but not limited to, vacation, business, or personal travel destinations in or out of this state, for a period of 5 or more days in the aggregate during any calendar year and which is not the person’s permanent address or, for a person whose permanent residence is not in this state, a place where the person is employed, practices a vocation, or is enrolled as a student for any period of time in this state.
The version of my papers (2018) refers to 3 days or more for a temporary or transient address… What is the correct number?
Just found this, rather interesting, regarding registration relief in each state:
http://ccresourcecenter.org/state-restoration-profiles/50-state-comparison-relief-from-sex-offender-registration-obligations/
Whatever you do stay away from bay county. Landed a job with the shipbuilding company there. 2nd day on the job a detective showed up to tell me I had to leave town because of municipality laws prohibiting me from being in the surround areas. Or I could move to the woods. Those were my choices I had just paid 36 dollars for a new ID. Sold all my belongings and I do mean all except close bought a bicycle to get to work and just paid 600 dollars for a hotel for two weeks that I had to borrow half of, I explained there were 3 other RSOs in the same hotel…needless to say he said I had till the end of the week to “figure it out” because their cases were over 10yrs old. I called a number he gave me to check addresses that I found available one after another was turned down. There was a play ground or church on every corner. I told him that in the city I was living at I didn’t have those restrictions. Why would I have them now? I’m not a predator just an offender. Needless to say I moved across the city because he said that part was not his jurisdiction and I would have to talk to them. So I did. I was there for three days paid 150 more on top of a 36 dollar charge for a new license…again that I had to borrow cause I didn’t recieve my first pay for 2 weeks. 3 days there a sheriff pulls up as I’m getting on my bike to go to work and stops me. He stopped his car never getting out and asked my name and asked if I knew there was a bus stop at the end of the street I told him no cause I checked for parks churches and everything else. Didn’t think about school bus stops. He said I had till Monday (it was Thursday) to move again. At this point I was in tears and frantic I went 3 years without a job and now that I finally had one…uuugh. Anyways I brought a relative into the situation she called the detective from the first hotel,not sure what she said to him something about you’re supposed to enforce the law not make it, but he called me back the next day and said “I don’t usually call FDLE twice for someone but I did and they agreeded you do not have those restrictions have a good day” I ended up having to move several different times while there when I could finally afford it. In the end I got run out of town after 10 months of work. I attempted to move back to my home town. I left on Friday and the county I was moving to only does so registration on Tues and Thurs. But I had not stayed in my home town the whole time. I went back to bay county to stay the night at a friend’s house back in bay county when Thursday came around I went to my hometown to register and I had a warrant out for my arrest. When I finished registering she said I can’t believe I’m about to say this but you have a warrant, I said for what!!! She said failure to register. She said I have never in my life heard of someone coming in to register and getting arrested for not registering. I’m still fighting the battle it’s been since February as of right now it looks like I may win this one. I am unemployed so I have a public defender and I was worried at first but she finally gave me hope last court date. A failure to register is automatic 26 months prison time no matter the case. They have been giving me plea deals for 36 months prison at first I turned it down and said no I was completely in my rights, they investigated and offered Xmonths probation yes X no number they were pushing for 5years I laughed said no I’m jobless it’ll set me up for failure. Then they came back with 24months probation I said no. They tried to reoffer after taking the other offers the table with 36 months prob. My PD chuckled when she brought me the news cause she knew what my answer was. That was a couple weeks ago I have another court date coming up in a couple weeks that is another pretrial hearing. As I was leaving she said it looks hopeful I couldn’t get so much as a sigh of relief from her before so I’m standing my ground. I don’t need another charge I already spent 18 months in prison for a judge whom on record that told me he believed every word I said and that the techs admitted the videos were never opened but because they were in my position even unknowningly he had to make an example out of me. Bam life ruined at the age of 20. Never downloaded music illegally again.
wait just a minute..are you telling me that if I go on a family vacation to the beach for 6 days, I have to change my driver’s license from my state of texas to florida??? I’m so confused.
you can get a Florida ID card instead of a drivers license.
You just need to have an identification with the designation stamped on it.
Thank you for your prompt reply. I have been very upset after learning this stuff about the license. So just to clarify, I can get an i.d. card without affecting my license for the state I live in?
yes
I live in Marion county FL, and I work in South Carolina for 7 months. I’ve been doing this for 5 years.
The middle of April I get called into work in South Carolina. I go to the Sheriff and tell them , they give me my ” travel papers” and I then report to the Sheriff in South Carolina.
I don’t have to get a new Drivers license or ID, I just go to work like a normal person would. When the work season is finished I go to the South Carolina Sheriff’s Office and fill out a ” change of address” form and I can leave for Florida that same day.
I don’t go directly to my ” Home Permanent Address”, I go to Jacksonville. Where I then have to go to the Sheriff’s Office there and register a ” Temporary address” there in Jacksonville.
I work there for around 10 days and have to go back to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and let them know that I will be going to Gainesville to work.
Only this year was different . When I first went to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office I was told that if I’m going to be in Jacksonville for 10 days that Jacksonville’s temporary address is now my permanent Address and my permanent Address in Marion county is now my Temporary address,and I need to go and have it changed on my driver’s license. I said, I’ve never had to do this before, and I’ve been doing this for 5 years. She accused me of playing a game with her, and told me she can play this game better than I can.
So, what else could I do…I went and got my license changed…at $30.00 and some change.
I go to Gainesville Sheriff’s Office and tell the Officer my temporary address, and I was told to go to Tax Collector and add my temporary address with them and I did so with no troubles.
Here is where I get a call from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to ask me when he could come by an do an address confirmation check. I tell him it’s not my ” Home/Permanent ” address, and that it’s the Marion county address.
He tells me I need to get it changed because they will put out a warrant for me if I don’t. So, I go to Marion county Tax Collector and pay the money to have a new Drivers license issued. I call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and tell them it’s done. Awhile later I get at txt saying it’s good now.
I’ve read where I can get a State Identification . Can I have a State Identification and a Drivers license?
I would report the officer as an unregistered lawyer as they were giving you legal advice. They are law enforcement, not lawyers. They have a politically vested interest in harming you. At this point, the actions of a cop can cause you harm.
When i traveled from Nebraska to California for a short visit, I was told that I would need to check into a local registration office as soon as I got to California. So under the advise of law enforcement (More of a demand, actually), I found myself checking-in to California for a temporary visit. The registering officer told me they could only mark me down as “moved into state” and would not register me otherwise. As a result, Nebraska declared me as “absconding” and I faced the very real threat of a 5 year prison sentence if I ever got caught in the state again during the duration of statute of limitations which as far as I could tell was 3 years, 5 years max.
The officers in both states conspired to cause me harm. This is why I am now ready to bring charges against any officer who gives me legal advice, also reporting them to the State Bar for practicing law without a law license.