Secretaries for the Florida Department of Corrections and wardens have been warning legislators and governors for years of the danger of paying staff such low wages, but these legislators and governors chose not to listen but to kick the can down the road.

With Florida being a state that so far has not been willing to participate in any major type of criminal justice reform, the answer is always incarceration and more incarceration. Research shows that such a strategy is not the answer for many cases.

Florida is reactive rather than proactive. Prevention does not seem to be in the vocabulary of many of our political leaders. Using evidence-based policies does not seem to be either.

Any thinking person knows that education, prevention and mentoring would not only reduce the costs of the prison industrial complex in Florida but would also give us all a better world to live in.

Just a side note: I have met so many people on the registry who did commit a sex offense, but all that would have been needed would have been for law enforcement to let them know that if they ever committed another sex offense, then they would be spending years in prison, followed by a lifetime on the registry with a detailed explanation of how the registry would ruin their lives. That would have been all it would have taken to put a stop to any future sex crimes for many who are now on the registry. Think of the money that could have been saved by taxpayers, and the families that could have been helped. Prison, probation, extensive sex offense therapy and the registry would not have been necessary for these individuals to make sure they never re-offended. But think of the money that would be lost by certain entities if Florida were to become proactive rather than reactive.

Here are some rights that were taken away and is punishment. How come NOBODY in out families are allowed to log into the next door app or site? yeah that is correct, all of our families who live in the same household are collateral damage. The real damage is punishing anyone associated with us who lives in the same house, apartment or dwelling.

The state of Florida has preempted counties on plenty of things with three examples being:

the gun preemptive law (https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/04/28/floridas-gun-preemption-law-just-got-more-powerful/#:~:text=Fans%20of%20Florida's%20sweeping%20gun,more%20than%20a%20technical%20correction.&tex)

regulating hospitality rentals (https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/government/2021/03/02/florida-legislators-seek-control-vacation-rental-regulation/6866668002/)

preempting local COVID edicts (https://apnews.com/article/florida-coronavirus-laws-health-083b2c00304c9569a78040ca741aeba1)

Manny, I think you make some points about the proximity laws/ordinances that need to be addressed. I worried about these kinds of restrictions when I was on business in Brevard and Seminole Counties recently. You’re basically only allowed to drive thru those countries without stopping, as I understand their ordinances.