The Inflexibility of Florida’s Sex Offender Registration Requirements
Weekly Update #90
Dear Members and Advocates,
It is important that everyone remembers to perform your in-person registration, even during the period of pandemic, even if you are sick, even if your registration office is closed. If not, you can be arrested. If your registration office is closed, find a way to travel to another county and perform your registration there. Do not allow a re-registration month to pass (or other registrable event) without having a copy of your registration paperwork in hand!
A Marion County registrant showed up to the Sheriff’s Office on April 1st, as he always had every 6 months for years before. His registration months are April and October. There was a sign on the door with a number to be called, he called, nobody answered, so he left a message. The next day he went back, same process, left a message. According to news reports, he thought he would get a call back, so he went home and continued to quarantine. In the midst of the Coronavirus shut down, with offices closed, who is to say what constitutes “must report in person to the sheriff’s office”?
When the man returned to the sheriff’s office last week to report a vehicle change, he was arrested for failure to report in April, a third-degree felony. He is facing 5 years in prison. Even if you are sick or at risk of dying if exposed to the pandemic, there are no exceptions to in-person registration. Sadly, for many, you either have to risk arrest or risk your life to comply. It is ridiculous, but it is how things are currently. We also need to remember to do everything possible to cover our butts, even if it includes taking a picture of yourself in front of the closed registration office (ideally with a witness present) to prove you were there.
The hopeful news in all this is that the “Ex Post Facto Plus” case is scheduled for trial in November and as we close out May, we are one month closer to every person listed on the Florida Sex Offender registry having their day in court. A member has very generously sponsored another $5000 matching pledge for June to be applied to expert witness costs for that lawsuit. We will be announcing details more formally in the coming days, but we are all very grateful for the generosity of this member and all who support this fight!
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
Reminders:
JUNE 4 – NEW TIME FOR JUNE Membership Call: Thursday June 4th at 7:30 pm ET. This call will be hosted by NARSOL Region 2. Watch for details.
JUNE 6 – Family Support session (via Zoom) facilitated by Jill Levenson and Shelly Kavanugh. Saturday June 6 from 11am to 1pm. To receive access, must RSVP by to membership@floridaactioncommittee.org or leave message at 407-814-4203 (name and phone number). This session is only available to family members or loved ones (not the registered person).
SOME HEADLINES FROM THIS WEEK
It’s Time for Ron Book to Retire
“Retiring” and “Ron Book” are words that never appear in the same sentence. It’s time that they did. Ronald Lee Book made his name in South Florida as a powerhouse lobbyist. Every year, he prowls the halls of the Florida Capitol working on behalf of those who pay him…
“Next Steps” in Federal Criminal Justice Reform
FAC Note: I saw Nathan Deal speak at the NACDL Conference a couple years ago. It’s good to see a politician follow through on promises. A criminal justice task force chaired by former Gov. Nathan Deal is recommending sweeping changes to the federal system. The most…
The death of Mattieo Condoluci
For those visiting our site for the first time, let me begin by saying; the Florida Action Committee DOES NOT condone sexual violence in any form. Our coverage of the death of Mattieo Condoluci has brought a lot of new traffic to our forum. Unfortunately, it’s brought…
Now that the ACLU and SPLC won on Voting rights. Is it our turn?
The American Civil Liberties Union and Southern Poverty Law Center won an important legal battle in a Florida Federal Court yesterday. As Politico reported, “U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle declared key portions of the state’s felon voting law unconstitutional,…
A question that no one can probably answer. Why the Hell did they wait until he returned to make a change to arrest him? Are they that lazy? Did they NOT realize he didn’t register until the computer told the clerk so? Makes me wonder. Maybe my question will make you wonder as well.
A few years back there was a story in the news about a guy who just stopped registering and it took them a year and a half to finally decide to go after him. He told the cops ” I was wondering when you would come get me”. He had been looking over his shoulder every day waiting for the inevitable.
Marion County is an incompetent criminal regime. How is it even conceivable that they did not keep their offices open and receiving redundant, repetitive, useless information from People Forced to Register? Do they not care that their Registries are a critical public safety feature? Do they not care that they selfishly put children at risk? Apparently Registries aren’t that important after all. Not important enough for them to simply do their jobs. How incompetent! If they can’t be bothered to do their jobs, they should probably quit.
And then they have the nerve to arrest people because they couldn’t be bothered to do their menial, paper-pushing jobs?! Outrageous. What a bunch of criminals!
I just hope people remember that it is fun to complain and talk about these criminal regimes online but the important thing it to make sure to affect them for real, in actual reality. Not in their Registry Fantasyland, but in reality. Make sure that their crimes hurt them as much as possible. Vote for people who are against them. Keep money from them. File complaints. Join groups that fight to keep resources from them (i.e. stop them from overpaying themselves). And remember every time that you see a law enforcement officer that they are dangerous criminals. If you see something, I wouldn’t say something.