Hernando County: Sheriff: increased funding crucial to combat growing sex offender concerns
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. –
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office warns that his agency is “significantly underfunded” and dwindling resources are putting public safety at risk. Sheriff Nienhuis says his plan to add a new detective to track the growing number of sex offenders moving to the county is being stonewalled by county leaders.
“We’re stretching that rubber band very thin and I’m afraid it’s going to break,” Sheriff Al Nienhuis told ABC Action News Thursday.
People living in a west Brooksville neighborhood have become increasingly concerned about the number of sex offenders living nearby.
“Another one I know that lives about two blocks down, there’s some two, three streets down – four or five up that street,” said Allison Phillips.
According to HCSO, the number of sex offenders calling Hernando County home has nearly doubled in recent years, now totaling 416.
Detective Tommy Breedlove oversees the county registry, but is hampered by active cases. Det. Breedlove says he’s backlogged from making random registry checks.
“By prioritizing you have to take your active cases first,” said Det. Breedlove. “We’re always afraid of the one that might fall through the cracks.”
Sheriff Nienhuis asked Hernando County Commissioners for a 4% budget increase, totaling $1.7 million. Sheriff Nienhuis wants to use some of that money to hire a new detective focusing specifically on the county’s sex offender registry.
“It’s a very heavy burden because you take the safety of 175,000 people personally,” said Sheriff Nienhuis.
County commissioners denied that request, instead proposing a new tax for unincorporated property owners. It would establish a Municipal Service Taxing Unit for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Hernando County.
“I asked for this item to be placed on the agenda for Board discussion so we can resolve the budget appeal with the Sheriff once and for all,” said Chairman Wayne Dukes. “I believe the best way to do this while providing full transparency to our taxpayers is to establish a MSTU. In addition to the milage rate needed to maintain the Sheriff’s approved budget, I’m prepared to transfer an additional $1.2 million to his current budget to settle the budget appeal and fully fund the Sheriff.”
The Sheriff and county commissioners will discuss future funding at a meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Government Center, located at 20 N. Main St., Brooksville.
However the budget battle ends, Tammy Salazar supports whatever gets her an extra set of eyes on area sex offenders.
“We need it,” said Tammy Salazar. “Honest to God, we need it.”
Here’s an idea that would solve their “problem” – follow the constitution and get rid of the proven useless registry.
It costs money doesn’t it but it certainly makes much much more $$$ just ask Ron Book how much a Lamborghini runs…or what his useless daughter would do without the hate list to sell the public over and over and over with the same tried old lies!
So with 1/2 of those listed on this hit list not even living in the state of Florida it seems clear to anyone with 1/4 of a brain (leaves out most politicians and LE) that making money and NOT public safety is the REAL REASON THE “SEX OFFENDER” REGISTRY EXISTS.
If Lauren wasn’t a Senator
she’d be a writer: She’s great at fiction and living in a fantasyland. Is FleetwoodMac still together? Tell me lies tell me sweet little lies. See perfect for her.
I don’t mean to be nosy, but is your husband’s offense a crime in the United States or Florida. If not I’d check out the attorneys FAC recommends.
It is not illegal in Florida, but the Federal Government has put people in jail for it, but it’s weird because there’s no real “law” on it. It’s just broad under obscenity. So, case by case I think..
Look into “writ of certiorari” and “writ of coram nobis.” Ask your attorney about these. Never take the first deal.
Thank you! I’ll take all the advice we can get! We’re looking for a civil attorney to sue FDLE for putting him on the list to begin with.
Good luck.
Thank you:)
Because of SORNA and it’s retro activity, I am a registrant that lives in hernando co. Twice a year visits to the sheriff office and the address verification to my home. This is where the confusion on their part begins. I used to hand them my DL and they would run my DL thru the computer, and I would have to wait (sometimes in the dark and sometimes rain) to see if I am wanted, this is a SPOT check. I no longer do this I present my DL and show them that it matches my address, but no longer give it to them. They have threaten to shoot my dog, I tell them they have no reason to enter my yard. they say they have to leave a door card, I said no that is considered correspondence, and all correspondence between the sheriff office and me will be by registered mail which is the law. entering my property and leaving door card will be considered trespassing and littering. No problems last 5 years. now lets talk about (SPOT) as i can find no state law that authorizes it. So when they pull into my driveway and ask if I am so and so I don’t answer I ask them what is their intent, if they answer I’m here to do a spot check. I reply are you sure your not here to do an address verification? If the reply is no I tell them to remove themselves from my property or I will call the state police. Only 6 counties have the SPOT program so if 62 counties do not then it cannot be state law. The SPOT program was written by Pinellas county it is a computer program spits out 90 day visits for Sexual Predator Offender Tracking.
“It’s a very heavy burden because you take the safety of 175,000 people personally, really. that I believe is one sex offender to every 420 people there. You have a better chance at getting run over than running into an offender. The problem is going to privatized prison and the ability to keep them full. The counties are affected by the fallout of released prisonsoners. the ones they tried so hard to incarcerate in the first place. LIke newtons theory of relativity, what goes up must come down. What goes into prison will eventually come out