A Reminder About Reporting Requirements: When in Doubt, Ask
Following our recent Weekly Update about increased enforcement activity in Florida, we’ve received a flood of questions from members asking whether specific events, changes, or circumstances need to be reported to law enforcement. We understand the concern. The registration laws in Florida are complex, often confusing, and subject to varying interpretations.
First and foremost, remember this:
FAC is not a law firm, and FAC does not provide legal advice.
We do our best to educate, inform, and advocate, but if you are ever arrested or accused of violating registration requirements, saying, “FAC told me I didn’t have to report it” or “I read on the FAC website that I didn’t need to report it” will not carry any weight with law enforcement, prosecutors, or the courts.
Another reality is that Florida’s registration laws are often interpreted inconsistently from one jurisdiction to another. What one registration office says may differ from another. Unfortunately, many violations occur not because someone intended to break the law, but because they misunderstood what was required.
That’s why our advice is simple:
If you have any doubt whatsoever about whether something must be reported, ask an authority. We know not everyone can afford to have an attorney write an opinion letter every time you have a question, but it costs absolutely nothing to ask the FDLE, local law enforcement, (or if you are on probation, your PO).
And most importantly, document everything.
If you receive guidance:
– Ask for the response in writing whenever possible.
– Save emails and correspondence.
– If the response is provided over the phone or in person, write down: The name of the person you spoke with, Their title or agency, The date and time of the conversation, What you were told.
Maintaining a paper trail can be invaluable if questions ever arise later.
Even better, if the issue is still unclear, use the Declaratory Statement Request Template that FAC previously provided. We share these resources so that you will have the tools to protect yourself. A declaratory statement can help obtain an official written interpretation regarding your specific circumstances.
You can find the contact information for the registration office in your county here.
You can contact FDLE’s Offender Registry Services Bureau at:
Offender Registry Services Bureau
Post Office Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1489
Telephone: 1-888-357-7332 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST)
Email: [email protected]
When it comes to registration compliance, it is always better to ask one question too many than one question too few.
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Helpful information. Thank you. Is anybody else infuriated / amused / concerned/resigned about the federal bureau’s sex offender email address? Sort of sums up the whole problem in a nutshell, don’t you think? EVERYBODY’S a predator. Unbelievable.
Huh?
Not sure what you are referring to. FDLE is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
FAC-3, I think they were referring to the email for Fdle saying sexpred
I contacted FDLE on the Ebay issue. They directed me to the statute. I ask for clarification. They responded with, we cannot offer legal assistance. You need to contact your local reporting office. They want you to fail. They will be the first law enforcement agency that will come to arrest you for failing to provide an online identifier.
I reported my eBay right away and when I asked when I went in to report, the lady asked someone else and they said, yes it needs to be reported so I left it on and is still on. But I think your experience just proved the vagueness of the statute.
1. FDLE tells you to look at the statute – Ok based on the statute eBay is a commercial site for transactions of goods and services.
2. Not sure if you asked your local reporting office or not. But hypothetically yours tells you no.
3. To point number 2, mine told me yes
How is that not Vague!
Yea, they can’t offer clarification on a statute but they damn sure know the law when they write their reports on paper violations lol. Crazy times.
Just report everything you use even if, by statute, you don’t have to: i.e. eBay. Also, when you no longer use it, their web portal tells you to remove it and how to do it (Using the delete button). So, I don’t know. I try to keep my reportable stuff as minimal as possible. No social media, No Google, No Microsoft, No online games, no chat rooms etc. Give me my gym and Gemstone machine and leave me alone lol.
I have had the same two cars for what 5 years now just added the third one even though I dont think I do as it does not fit the criteria. The one i drive, in my wife’s name, has no A/C, burns 5 quarts of Oil a week but I don’t want a car payment. Same house since ’03. Once I stop working, I will only have 1 email and 1 phone. and No work address. Heck, I have even thought about doing away with my email address.
Yet twice a year for two weeks leading up to the in office 5-minute meeting I go into deep panic mode. Tell me why? And if anyone has ideas on how to relieve some of that stress, please share. July 1st will be my 42nd time reporting plus the 119 times on probation over a 30-year span.
Does the stress affect your performance (at work, in the gym, etc.)? Or is just more of a nuisance?
Do you feel the same way leaving that five-minute meeting as you did before you arrive? Or is it more a rush of relief over nothing bad happening (again and again).
J- I can honestly say YES, the two weeks before I have to report in. So, four weeks out of the year. The Gym used to be a place to relax, but not as of July 1st as my Gym has a pool. So I will become a deaf mute. Keep my music loud and ignore everyone.
Usually when I report I am a wreck up until I walk to the door. I arrive 15 minutes before they open and am usually in the top 4. My wait is about 5 to 10 minutes. In with the officer for 5 and then I leave. The weight begins to lift when i get my license back and lifts to 90% after I get in my car. I have the same stuff every time. I double and triple check before I go in. I check FDLE warrants and clerk of the court 3 to 4 times a day in that two week period. NOT because I think there is something but out of paranoia.
Tearful, I get the instinct to “just report everything” or “report it just in case”, but that creates a serious privacy issue because information that may have no legal basis for disclosure ends up in government databases and potentially used against someone later. It can be shared with corporations, can get you kicked off platforms that you rely on for business, etc. Also, what happens when you over-report and then forget to remove an account you no longer have? Then you risk arrest for filing false information.
The registry should be about compliance with clearly defined legal requirements — not collecting every possible piece of personal information. When the consequences of a mistake can be a felony charge, many people understandably err on the side of over-disclosure, but that comes at the cost of privacy, due process, accuracy and further exposure to prosecution.
FAC-3. I 100% agree with you. It is why when my Microsoft account closes on July 10th, Xbox Identifier that I never created, will be removed forthwith. Every piece of advice you give and FAC as a hole is spot on. I think what happens especially for those of us who have been doing this over 30 years is we love life. We like being able to go to Publix at 9:30 grab Ben and Jerry’s and watch the US national team lose in the 98th minute. But we live paranoid fearful that we forgot something. Etc. I think that is the reason I put my stuff on here lol is to see it. I know what is in my heart, but our brains are in a constant state of paranoia.
I also think having the goal post moved on us 20-year people even further ads to it. It was the end of a very long journey only to be told you got 5 more miles to go.
Like you mentioned, I add anything right away and I delete it right away I don’t say, “Oh i can do it tomorrow i have 48 hours.” That is how you forget. 🙂
Serious question. Would there be a way to: 1. be a way to pin a post at the top, where we could put random questions, IE: Do we have to list eBay? Do we have to list YouTube, even without an account? Is a Tele Doc meeting something we have to report? Etc. 2. No commentary just a quick statement like. Is eBay something we have to report? 3. Have one of the attorneys give the legal answer? Short and to the point IE: No, you do not have to report eBay. John Jones Attorney.
I think something like that would be AMAZING and go a long way to relieve some stress. Once again though thank you for all you do. I have been in many a dark holes the last 30 years and the FAC family has pulled me out without you even knowing about it. Usually, those occur the two weeks leading up to reporting day, which I always do first opportunity each time.
FAC
The problem is, one that we all have been saying for years. Not being on probation or any other sanctions, yet we have to report things that can get us arrested if you do not, and that again in my mind is punishment due to how close it is to be probation.
Once in the past I made a post and compared the registry to probation and there was long list of things both have to report. Both can you get you arrested if not in compliance. Yet, called punishment for probation but not punishment for those no longer on paper but on registry.
What a scheme they came up with to justify with the wave of a wand and “Make it so”.
That’s not at issue here. Nobody is questioning that the registry is like being on probation. Worse rather. A probation violation is not a third degree felony (unless you violate by committing an actual third degree felony)
FAC
Ok, it is that time where we are hanging on the side of the cliff and everyone is screaming for you to hang on, but eventually you just give up, break free from the person’s hand and drop into the ravine.
That is how a lot of us feel because there is nowhere to go to from here (Concerning the ongoing add-ons to registration requirements) F.A.C fights for our justice but where is the light at the end of the tunnel?
Sorry we are all frustrated with the system of un-justice.
Cherokee,
If you became a member of FAC and got active in our advocacy work, perhaps you would be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel?
FAC you bring up a great point. Hopefully you can answer this part. I have given in the past no issues but I we become a member would we then have to list it on our list of Identifiers. That is my only hold off. I am trying to keep my List small, IE 3 or 4.
This is a news site. A username need not be registered based only on a communication over a website whose primary purpose is the dissemination of news.
I agree with the stress and sleep issue completely. I wake the middle of the night just about every night, swear I hear someone banging on my front door. Where I live, they do residency check any time of the day or night. I finally stopped answering the door after 10 pm. that hasn’t stopped the nightmares. I was mor relaxed in the service.
I get that rules are rules. If someone continually breaks them, after they have been told then yes they should have consequences. The best outcome is no registry so we keep the fight going. However, if it’s something as simple as spacing out and forgetting to register or misunderstanding an expectation then some Grace should be given. But, this is all wishful thinking.
Cookie
They only make these rules hoping they will catch enough of us to send us back to prison or to never be able to be removed from registration. Most of us have been off of paper for decades, yet we have rules and laws that ONLY apply to registered persons for life, regardless of no longer on probation. Seems fishy and unconstitutional to me, but what do I know?
We are not getting too much love from the supreme court, maybe we should bake them some cookies or something. Compassion is free. Definition: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
Jack, but don’t forget …. didn’t FDLE, i thought i read, tell the court that they always give someone a chance to fix it.? Someone in the other post was talking about CPTSD. My therapist has already said I have PTSD issues. I looked up what CPTSD was and it fits our situation to a tee.
Pulled from Co-Pilot:
1. Re-experiencing
Intrusive memories
Flashbacks
Nightmares
Sudden emotional flooding
These can be triggered by reminders or sometimes come out of nowhere.
2. Avoidance
Avoiding people, places, or situations that feel threatening
Avoiding emotions or memories
Numbing out or disconnecting
This is the nervous system trying to protect you.
3. Hyperarousal / Hypervigilance
This is the one that often matches what you’ve described in past conversations:
Feeling “on alert” all the time
Startling easily
Scanning for danger
Trouble relaxing
Muscle tension (especially neck, shoulders, jaw)
Difficulty sleeping
When your body stays in survival mode, even small things can feel like threats.
4. Negative self-beliefs
Feeling defective, guilty, or ashamed
Feeling like something is “wrong” with you
Believing you’re unsafe even when the facts say otherwise
These beliefs often come from old experiences, not current reality.
5. Emotional regulation difficulties
Intense emotions that feel hard to control
Sudden waves of fear, anger, or sadness
Feeling overwhelmed by stress
Difficulty calming down once triggered
This isn’t weakness — it’s the nervous system stuck in survival mode.
6. Relationship and trust difficulties Feeling disconnected from others
Difficulty trusting people Feeling like you have to stay hyper-aware to stay safe Pulling back when stressed
This is common when someone has had to protect themselves for a long time.
7. Somatic (body) symptoms
This is where your neck tension, jaw tightness, and muscle pain can fit in:
Chronic muscle tension
Neck and shoulder pain
Jaw clenching
Headaches
Stomach issues
Feeling “on edge” physically Stress and trauma often show up in the body before the mind even catches up.
I can say I have all this.
You’re absolutely right. CPTSD is what a lot of us have. I recently drafted an anonymous scholarly white paper on the subject and sent it to FAC and other researchers for publication. It is my hope that FAC will start taking C-PTSD seriously as a registrant specific problem and begin talking about it openly. I had to discover all of this the hard way last year after having a significant nervous breakdown. I’ve had clinical symptoms for 17 years now!! NO MORE SILENCE!! We are suffering from something I call Registrant Specific Complex Injury a sociogenic subclass of C-PTSD. If developing a serious and life threatening mental illness like C-PTSD isn’t cruel and unusual punishment nothing is. Another aspect of Registrant Specific Complex Injury is Social Death. The registry has literally taken from every aspect of my life. The last things it has come for is my very mind.
Well biggest one for me is sleep issues. I could probably go 5 days without sleep and even then, I wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep. I toss and turn and my doctor wanted me to take sleeping pills but that made it worse.
I cannot tell you how many times I had a dream (Or nightmare) that I forgot to register and in the middle of the night went into my filing cabinet to check my paperwork to make sure I had not missed my obligations. I am sure I am not alone on that one.
Jack I have done that. I also check FDLE warrant search and my county clerk and my cyber thing insistently in the two weeks leading up to my report date
Everyone should look up allostatic load and what happes.when to people under significant and long term stress like registrants are. The evidence is there.
Co-Pilot based on my answers to the 7 questions about Allostatic Load:
Your Allostatic Load Estimate
Using the A/B/C scoring system:
#1 Cardiovascular: B → 1 point
#2 Metabolic: B and C → 2 points
#3 Inflammatory: C → 2 points
#4 Sleep: A (but unrested) → 1 point
(Even with CPAP, waking unrefreshed suggests physiological strain.)
#5 Emotional/Psychological: C → 2 points
#6 Social: C → 2 points
#7 Lifestyle: B and C → 2 points
Total: 12 points (out of 14)
This falls into the high allostatic load range.
This doesn’t mean anything is “broken” — it means your body has been carrying a heavy cumulative stress burden across multiple systems for a long time.
C-PTSD, Social Death and Allostatic Load duration of life time registry realties = Registrant Specific Complex Injury C-PTSD. We need out our own Trauma Informed Care. Out families suffer with us and also exhibit clinical symptoms.
FAC: Thank you for sending this out.
I follow the principle of “If in doubt, add it to the list”. That way you are covered and the next time you go in, you can always ask. I too, like many others on here, live in a constant state of “Fight or Flight” or “Forever stuck in survival mode.” I do my best to live a ‘scorched earth” environment; I go to the same places, (Gym, Publix, Chick Fil A, my dad’s, and Church), I order the same thing every time, I take the same route every time, I get gas at the same 3 or 4 stations every time. My family can also always see where I am at. I think you get the picture. I have very limited online footprint, really only what is needed for work and eBay. Zero social media (but I never had this before they made the reporting of it law) it is just not my thing.
I am not saying anything above is illegal or you should not have, I just choose to live with a minimal digital footprint. I will be asking again July 1st about eBay and the vehicle that I am in no way associated with and if they choose to remove it then it will be them doing it. I constantly check FDLE for warrants and the clerk of the court especially in the weeks leading up to the report day: Not because I think there is any issue, but I think we all live in this constant state of “Fight or Flight” or “Constant “survival” mode.
Back to the beginning to end my post if you are not sure, report it first then ask.
Here’s a question: What’s the statute of limitations on reporting requirements?
i think it is 3 years if they find something if its been more then 3 it might be ok however im not a lawyer now if someone can just tell me how to get to the eu quickly w/out a pass port hummm
When you want to leave lol. My pop is 89 all my kids are grown and my wife of 33 years wouldn’t care if I moved. We can buy a boat, renounce our citizenship and sail the world. 🙂
There is no statute of limitations. Unfortunately each and every time you register an omission cand be a separate charge.
Ie. 3 years ago you bought a trailer. You didn’t report it. You will face 6 counts of failure to register by omission and one count of failure to register the trailer within 48 hours.
So if you bought the trailer six years ago instead of three, but only began properly registering it three years ago, is that also six counts of failure to register by omission? Or is it fewer counts due to a statute of limitations?
I thought Florida’s statute of limitations on a third-degree felony is four years.
3 years by Statute.