How two county coordinators were able to make changes for the better in their county sex offender ordinance
A Florida Action Committee county coordinator found out about the Hernando sex offender/predator ordinance on February 2, 2023, by reading the Hernando Sun, a local paper. A Call to Action was posted by Florida Action Committee on February 5, 2023.
The following are just some of the proposals in the ordinance that was passed earlier this year:
- Would prohibit people on the registry from residing within 1,000 feet of schools, daycare centers, playgrounds, public libraries, religious institutions, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities.
- Would not allow people on the registry to participate in any practice or event, including, but not limited to, any event related to a nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event, if such practice or event is primarily targeted toward non-familial children. There is also wording on the wearing of costumes, make-up, and masks.
- Posting of “No candy or treats here” signs at the residences of registrants on Halloween.
- No displays for any nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event or practice are to be visible from the exterior of the residence, if such displays are primarily targeted to lure a child.
- Cannot enter or remain within the 1000-foot buffer zones surrounding schools, daycares, etc.
- Read the entire Hernando Ordinance here.
In the words of the above-mentioned FAC member and county coordinator: The ordinance had already passed on January 24, but the article did not say this. So, I called my county commissioner, John Allocco, on February 3. He texted me back on February 5. From then, until April 21, I was in ongoing contact with Anita, my co-coordinator in Hernando County and Commissioner Allocco through calls and texts. I also reached out to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office for clarification regarding the ordinance but was often told they “couldn’t provide legal advice.”
Finally, my co-coordinator and I met with Commissioner Allocco about the ordinance on April 21, sharing our concerns, mainly that the Halloween sign part of the ordinance had already been declared unconstitutional based on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from January of 2022. We also shared our concern that the 1000-foot buffer zone around nursing homes and assisted living facilities would bar me from visiting my father (a 26-year Army veteran) if he had to live in one of these facilities. As well, my co-coordinator and I discussed about allowing those on the registry to attend other activities in the buffer zones. Commissioner Allocco allowed us to suggest new language for the ordinance. As we wrapped up the meeting, Mr. Allocco said he would look into possible changes.
In late May or early June, I texted Mr. Allocco to see about the changes. He said legal was looking into it.
Sunday, July 9, I received a text from Danell in Indian River County telling me the Hernando Board of County Commissioners would vote on amending the ordinance to remove the Halloween sign language.
On Monday, July 10, I contacted the sheriff’s office to notify them of my intent to attend the county commissioner’s meeting on July 11 (24-hour notice as per the ordinance), and went to the sheriff’s office on July 11 to verify I was good to go.
At the meeting on July 11, the BOCC dramatically changed the ordinance with the following: removal of the registration fee and Halloween sign language; changing the buffer zone language from “may not enter or remain within a 1000-foot buffer zone of certain places” to “may not loiter or prowl within a 1000-foot buffer zone.” Specific allowances to “visit a relative in a nursing home facility, ALF, or hospital” were added.
From FAC leadership: Because of the tenacity of two FAC members, who happened to also be county coordinators, a county ordinance, which could have been unbearable for the people required to register in Hernando County, became a little more bearable until the day comes when all laws and ordinances that go with the registry are finally taken down.
Registrants in Hernando County are far from having all the draconian restrictions placed on them from being completely removed, but they have made a good start. This was accomplished by just two people speaking up.
We want to thank these two FAC members for setting an example of how to begin making some small but positive changes in our efforts to bring down the registry and all its accompanying, insane laws.
We also saw this past spring how the Florida Legislature was pressured into letting certain bills die. This was accomplished by the many people in Florida and throughout the country who contacted our legislators through calls, emails, and the U.S. Mail to oppose these punitive bills.
We are just beginning to see the power in numbers grow and the resulting positive effects.
Every email/call gets heard and tallied. Every respectful conversation with an elected official is an excellent opportunity to change a mind about our community. YOUR EFFORTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Excellent!! A roadmap for the rest of us. thank you.
Amen! Great job!
One must be respectful; but one must also perservere.
Our rights as US citizens are currently being trampled; calmly but firmly speaking up will often get good results.
Well done, and thanks to both for the hard work.
Does this mean Christmas decorations aren’t allowed in Hernando? How awful. I wish there was some sort of concise database of restrictions and ordinances by county. My family and I need to move, but I’m terrified of leaping out of the Polk County frying pan and into another county’s fire.
Great job by all those who helped in getting some of these ordinances rewritten, and thanks to the County Commission for removing the No Candy Here signs on Halloween.
This is great. Ridiculous that FL STILL has not learned how idiotic these rules regulating living distance are. Once they had everyone in Dade or Broward county cowering under a bridge, then the public complained about so many people under the bridge!
Here in VA, they tried to get a supplemental registry enacted last year, which would put everyone back to the dawn of time who had been convicted of an offense 20, 30, or 40 years ago (before enactment of the Registry) to now be on one. It failed through our efforts.
However, the year before, the legislative passed a law which requires those registered citizens like me, if an emergency shelter is opened, must report to the harried center manager immediately, letting the mgr know they are on the registry- you know, to further stoke the fear and panic.
@Norman
During the last really bad hurricane, my parents decided to leave the state until after it was over. They wanted me to come with them but I told them I was staying in the house and death from the storm was more preferred than going back to prison for a violation of a non criminal , non punitive but arrestability registry.
I stayed behind with no electricity for 5 days, eating canned food and bottled water.
Sad that I preferred the risk of death rather than face a violation of registration ever changing rules, laws, ordinances, statues etc.
Thank You!! Thank You!! Thank You!!! We need fighters like this!
Doesn’t change a thing. Why do I say this? Every time a ‘new’ idea comes up about this. It is the same old policy. SCOTUS ruled a lot of those as unconstitutional, but locals say they can not tell us how to rule our county or state. But they have it backwards. Federal rulings trumps local and state rulings, laws and even policy.
For example: Illegal to have families to send postage stamps to detention facilities and must be purchased of the stores. Federal law prohibits profiting by selling stamps or stamped envelops more than the post office does. The prisons were selling the contraband stamps back to the post office for a profit. Caught on camera.
Which laws, rules, and / or policies are violated and document the case law showing this. The injunctive relief in most cases was to scrape the whole bill and create a new one, but they will sneak it back in without a whistle blower doing their job.
It changes a lot of things for the people who live in Hernando County and are no longer being forced into a de facto house arrest.
I am a disabled veteran on disability. It would be wonderful if we could put an end to registration fees in Duval County. The Probation Office waived probation fess because I am on Social Security but JREC informed me that if I don’t pay they will arrest me.
@David
You have to pay so it is essentially a fine. A fine is punishment, so punitive. Same as probation fees, no difference. Just good luck getting the law makers and payment takers to agree.
Posted: Aug 2, 2023 / 07:06 PM CDT
Updated: Aug 2, 2023 / 07:07 PM CDT
Things to keep in mind if a registered sex offender moves to your Lubbock neighborhood.
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/things-to-keep-in-mind-if-a-registered-sex-offender-moves-to-your-lubbock-neighborhood/
@Riff Raff
From the article
I GOT THEM. Here is the smoking gun. “terms and agreements on their court paperwork,”. There was NO registry when I got arrested. I did NOT agree to anything. How can I have terms and agreements to something that was retroactively applied and I did NOT agree to as an after thought.
They sink themselves but then cover it up and sweep it under the metaphorical rug. I realize this is Texas but almost all states retroactively applied the registry eventually. How can be protest or agree to anything and who in their right mind would agree to sex offender “After care” with a life of forever registry love from the state.
i was told there are 2500 members/subscribers or whatever you want to call them to FAC.
I would appreciate it if you asked your readers to help with a project to document all restrictions in their community that exceed state laws.
There are 267 cities, 123 towns, and 21 villages in the U.S. state of Florida, a total of 411 municipalities. They are distributed across 67 counties, in addition to 66 county governments. Jacksonville has the only consolidated city–county government in the state, so there is no Duval County government.
I’d love to be able to document where each municipality has additional rules beyond the county. You could see where this might be a monumental task for ONE person, but not for even a tenth of the 2500 FAC readers/subscribers/members.
I can look up many, but not all, ordinances through the county clerk of courts sites or Municode but again, it would go faster if some folks shared the municipal/county rules they live under.
PUBLISHED: 08:16 EDT, 6 August 2023 | UPDATED: 09:37 EDT, 6 August 2023
At least 500 convicted sex offenders are missing in the UK – with Met Police admitting it has lost nearly HALF of them.Separate figures from 21 forces showed 1,500 sex offenders had changed their name after they were convicted.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12377967/At-500-convicted-sex-offenders-missing-UK-Londons-Met-admitting-lost-nearly-HALF-them.html?ci=JRNKxKQ1TY&cri=anvnt0QrOi&si=raPoMPBOSUpX&xi=565a6024-4afe-4a3c-a106-e43801eb2a21&ai=12377967
@ RiffRaff
I am assuming that is why Florida changed the law concerning felons changing their name. And I think it only applied to those with a sex offense, another “Pick and choose” which felons to enforce laws on.
I had to sign a paper at the sheriff’s office about that saying I was explained the new law that we could not do a name change.