A Florida Registrant Thanksgiving.
It’s the day before Thanksgiving. In years past I’d be packing right now, but this year and for the past 5 years or so, I’m not. Here’s why…
Since I first started coming home from University, the Thanksgiving tradition always involved travel somewhere. It was such a joy seeing family and being together. But since Florida changed it’s reporting requirements from 5 days to 3, all the checking out and checking in, confusion over the requirements, stress of in person reporting…. it’s just become too much of a pain in the ass!
Setting aside the in person trip you need to make to the Sheriffs office or the Driver’s license office (or both?!?!), there’s the “vehicles owned” crap. If I stay someplace for 3 or more consecutive days and that becomes my “permanent residence”, under 775.21(2)(k) (“Permanent residence” means a place where the person abides, lodges, or resides for 3 or more consecutive days) do I need to register all the vehicles that are there also? 775.21(2)(p) says I’m supposed to register “any motor vehicle as defined in s. 320.01, which is registered, co-registered, leased, titled, or rented by a person or persons residing at a sexual predator’s or sexual offender’s permanent residence for 5 or more consecutive days.” The people I’d be visiting at my new “permanent residence” live there more than 5 days, so should I register their cars? I don’t know.
Then how am I supposed to accomplish that? The law says, “A sexual offender shall report in person to the sheriff’s office within 48 hours after any change in vehicles owned to report those vehicle information changes.” But it’s Thanksgiving! The registration office will be closed Thursday – Sunday. I can’t even call up my hosts and ask them for the year, make, model, VIN and tag number of all their cars to report it before I depart, because the law says within 48 hours after.
Wait… Did I have to register the address I’ll be visiting before or after?!?! The Statute says “[a] sexual offender who intends to establish a permanent, temporary, or transient residence in another state or jurisdiction other than the State of Florida shall report in person to the sheriff of the county of current residence within 48 hours before the date he or she intends to leave this state to establish residence in another state or jurisdiction…” or… “within 48 hours after any change in the offender’s permanent, temporary, or transient residence… the offender shall report in person to a driver license office.” OK… so it’s within 48 hours BEFORE the change to the Sheriff’s office if outside the state and 48 hours AFTER the change to the driver’s license if within the state?!?! I guess.
I’m confused… so if I can’t do the change within 48 hours AFTER because the driver’s license office will be closed the entire time I’ll be there for Thanksgiving, am I supposed to go in on Monday to get a new driver’s license reporting the address of the place I just got back from? That’s kind of stupid. Then do I go to the Sheriff’s office to report the cars? Can I switch my address back during the same visit? This is all so confusing! Not only to me, but to the people I asked in the registration office in both my County and the County I want to visit, they don’t know either.
My wife has been bugging us to spend the holidays with family for years, but how can I risk a third degree felony for getting one of these steps wrong? Even if I wanted to take the chance, the registration and driver’s license offices are closed!
F*** it! I’m staying home for the holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving from Florida!
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Sounds like an Abbott and Costello bit. While absolutely hilarious, it’s unfortunately true. Me and my wife and kids are staying home this Thanksgiving too.
Question:
Exactly how can this be enforced? If you’re not on probation that is. It seems that a law that is unenforceable is not really a law.
Arrests are sometimes made for failures to register vehicles, temp addresses, perm addresses. Sometimes these arrests are the outcome of compliance checks. They are unrelated to probation as they apply equally to those off probation.
But how can law enforcement track how many days you’re at another location? Unless you commit an offense, how would they know? You mentioned registering another vehicle. Made me think of a scenario, how do you register a rental car or grandma’s rambler if you’re out of state? Unless you know that information ahead of time, you can’t let the Florida Inquisition know.
I understand Florida’s intense need to waste law enforcement time/money to enforce laws that don’t do anything. I actually wouldn’t mind complying with some of these “laws”, just make it easier to comply. Make all stuff available online. Have clearer definitions. Make it easier to comply or just get rid of the laws. Like most of the rest of the world.
Rick
It is ok, because law makers and judges said none of this is punishment. Just Normal things every citizen has to do right??????????????????
I am a decently education chap, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot get past punishments not being punishment, just because someone says so. Like when my Dad use to beat me with a belt, but afterwards force me to give him a hug and tell me he loves me.
Why not just ask the registration office.
Seems that would save a lot of grief.
I love asking them questions like the above…..and then just sit back and watch the show
Jacob
From experience. Sometimes they give wrong info. False info or simply tell you to “Contact FDLE” (or agency of whatever state you are in).
I asked a question once and they lady was super nice but she said she really did not know anymore than we did and just do your registrations and keep them update to date and you will be fine. That totally skirted my question about travel requirements so then she told me to call FDLE myself.
How can we be arrested if they do not even know the darn law themselves? Even if you win, you have spent money you don’t have to get bogus charges tossed, and the arrest stays on record regardless of if you won or not, unless you can get it sealed. Even then, a prosecutor has access to sealed files if they need be with a petition to the courts. Then good luck ever getting off the registry.
I’ve asked authorities here in Michigan to clarify things for me and they don’t even know. In our previous Does lawsuit, the State Police went on record to say they didn’t even know how to measure the 1000 foot restriction. They asked if it was measured as a straight line as the crow flies, or if it included bends and turns in a road. Its a 16.3 mile drive from my house to my work, but if measured in a straight line, its only 11.4 miles which is a route that’s impossible to drive. A helicopter would be required to make the trip that way. So the judge tossed out the 1000 foot restriction for certain PFRs convicted prior to a certain date. I was included in that group and now have no restrictions on where I can live, work, or hang out.
Maybe our talented layers will use this statement as an example of our case that is now back on track. Also Happy Thanksgiving hopefully one day soon this farce will be behind us.
You are not alone. Happy Tgivi hg anyway
This is a great template for an affidavit to help our cause. Thanks!
Still Praying for some adult common sense thinking about this ridiculous registry law!! And Changes .. .. it’s not working and it’s destroying lives. 🙏
To just saying
Oh, contrar’ my friend, it is working just fine. It is working to line the pockets of those who it benefits. For each add on to the registry, states get more and more funding. Meanwhile real victims of crimes like murder victim’s families are lucky to get a “We are working on it due to staff shortages”.
Re-allocate some of that registry money to help victims, and other actual needs that benefit everyone, not just to hire new registry compliance staff.