Are you kidding me?!?!?!
I’m posting early in the morning because this one kept me awake for most of the night.
Senate Bill 932 sponsored by Senator Wright and it’s companion bill House Bill 141 sponsored by Representative Leek, are making their way through the Florida legislature, The Bills would amend the Florida divorce statute to provide that:
“The court may not grant a parent time-sharing with a minor child if the parent is required to register as a sexual offender under s. 943.0435 or a sexual predator under s. 775.21″ unless the court makes a “specific finding in writing that the registrant poses no significant risk of harm to the child and that time-sharing is in the best interest of the child.”
WHAT THE F…?!?!?!
So if you have a sexual offense in your past, no matter what it was, no matter if it was years or decades before you get married and start a family, and you happen to get divorced, even for reasons completely unrelated to the offense, the court may not grant you time sharing (custody) with your own children unless the court specifically finds in writing you present no significant risk of harm to the child?
So if you get divorced you automatically lose your children and it’s up to a judge whether you can see them again and the burden on the judge is for them, not a qualified practitioner in risk assessments, but the judge, to make a specific written finding that you present no significant risk of harm to the child?
We have seen plenty of cases where a judge has a bias against someone on the registry or found that even a “negligible risk” or “less than 1 percent risk” is not “no risk” or “zero risk”, even though “zero risk” does not exist on the risk assessment instruments.
Anyone who is on the registry and has minor children, whether presently married or divorced, should be very concerned. If this horrible bill passes it will change the dynamic of families of registrants immediately.
Below are the links to the bills:
https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/932
https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/141
Look for a CALL TO ACTION this coming week.
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What a easy way for a vindictive spouse to strip registrants of their children and I bet the registrant would still be held responsible for child support afterwards. Once again guilty before any crime has been committed
But wait…the registry is not punitive, its only administrative. (SARCASM OF COURSE). This bill is truly outrageous! Who are these legislators anyway?
Like I said it’s open season in florida and it’s nothing no one can do about it.Well folks my family and I are leaving this state in 6 months it’s a trap I wish everyone good luck and if you’re smart you’d try to relocate as well
Good for you Tired. I say “Don’t feed the beast” by paying taxes, patronizing FL businesses, etc. If you don’t have voting rights, your vote is wasted in FL. Move to another state where you can make your voice count and where you are not persecuted in every facet of your existence.
And if you flourish in your new state, use your influence and resources to help those left behind through supporting FAC.
I believe Peter Aiken had said to look for a friendlier state. I agree with him – maybe a U.S. commonwealth.
Thank you for posting in the morning. Otherwise many more people may have lost sleep. Your comments were just about right, so I won’t turn this into a raving diatribe, or drone on about how these people are brain dead political opportunists.
I do encourage everyone to respond to the coming call to action. And I mean not just Floridians. Draconian stupidity tends to creep across the country. In the wake of the moral panic surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, my (elected) attorney general used the opportunity to opine about how our state was “behind” others in its registration laws.
Veritas.
I’d like to write these Senators ,perhaps you could publish their mailing addresses and we could share our opinions with them?
Yes another bad Bill, what else is new if Florida!
Another factor is what would the court evaluate to consider you a “low risk” so you would be able to have parental rights? I would assume that your case would be evaluated as well as a current “Sex Offender” Evaluation (s). The problem with this is two (2) fold:
1. As we all know the case facts that the court most likely will go by would be the Governments version, which makes everyone look like a monster!
2. Evaluations cost money and time and you would have to be reasonable for getting these done, thats not including other things the court may need or want for evaluation, including Polygraph tests, Sex Offender Therapy classes, etc..
So, to sum up I see this as another no win situation and another bill that again diminishes our already violated civil rights!
Another problem with evaluations, as we have seen in other states, is that when the evaluation doesn’t go the state’s way, they discredit it and seek another opinion, even if the evaluation was conducted by their person.