UPDATED CALL TO ACTION: Brevard County. Oppose proposed ordinance
[FAC NOTE: This is turning on absurd. Now businesses will be able to order persons forced to register can’t go within 1000 feet of their business?!?!]
As it stands, any person convicted of sex offenses involving minors cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school, child care facility, park or playground. The county’s current ordinance only states offenders cannot be within 1,000 feet from a school, daycare or playground. According to this article, County Commissioner John Tobias is hopeful that list will soon include some local businesses. “It’s an ordinance at the county level. State has a buffer and we’ve expanded that,” he said.
“It would give law enforcement the ability to arrest one of these offenders or predators who are within that 1,000 foot buffer from the business,” Tobias said. [The new ordinance would create a] new voluntary registry, certifying their business is a place where children regularly congregate, which would restrict sexual offenders and sexual predators from coming within 1,000 feet of the business. Opting in is free for a business.
[FAC NOTE: Please take action]
UPDATED: If you are near Brevard and would like to attend the meeting tomorrow, July 21, 2020, it will take place at 9:00 AM at the Brevard County Government Center,2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way (at Stadium Parkway),Viera, FL 32940
For those of you who have the time between now and Tuesday morning, please send an email to the commissioners listed below (or one email to all) stating your opposition to this proposed ordinance:
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Sounds like County Commissioner John Tobias is worrying about getting re elected.
I recently read an article by Krystel Knowles on NewsBreak.com about a news item that appeared on Tampa Bay News 9. The title: “Sex Offenders Could be Barred from Certain Businesses, if a Brevard Commissioner gets his way”. Being familiar with Brevard County Ordinance 2006-31, I find it difficult to believe you or any commissioner would waste time discussing a restrictive provision that is already in the ordinance. It almost sounds like an ‘election year’ play. Let’s face facts…the Brevard County Ordinance is based on fear, false information, lack of education on the part of the commissioners, and a false attempt to appear to care about county residents. The whole fear tactic was started when a member of the US Supreme Court cited an article in the AMA Journal…an article that was later rescinded by the original author as not having a factual basis. Let me repeat a few articles from the ordinance:
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, collectively and in conjunction with other elected and appointed officials within Brevard County, notes that there have been numerous occurrences within the State of Florida and the United States where convicted sexual offenders and predators are released from custody and thereafter commit similar crimes,.. This is a totally false statement not backed up by any facts or studies. Ex-sex offenders…registered citizens…have the lowest recidivism rates of any offenders except murderers. This is a conclusion of numerous studies backed up by fact.
Whereas, it appears that the recidivism rate for released sexual offenders and sexual predators is alarmingly high, especially for those who commit crimes upon children… This is once again a totally false statement. How the term “appears” can be used to establish a policy that destroys lives and families is beyond me.
WHEREAS, Brevard County desires to ensure that the citizens of the county are protected from criminal activity to the maximum extent afforded by controlling law in order to advance public health, safety, and welfare, and benefit the citizens of Brevard County to the maximum extent possible;… Sounds good! No one wants the county to be subject to criminal activity. So I decided to look up the ordinances that: restrict bank robbers from coming within a 1,000 feet of a bank; drunk drivers from coming within 1,000 feet of a liquor store, grocery store, 7-eleven, etc; home invaders from coming within 1,000 feet of a residential neighborhood; drug dealers from coming within 1,000 feet of a school, park, library, grocery store, 7-eleven, etc; car hijackers from coming within 1,000 feet of a parking lot, auto dealership, Walmart, etc; etc. I could not find a single ordinance so establishing these restrictions. So much for the effort to protect the county from criminal activity.
Sex offenders…registered citizens…are soft targets and easy to control. One can claim a law enforcement pay check with very little threat to safety. And politicians can lie all they want about sex offenders…registered citizens…with little chance of being challenged and big political payoff.
I will once again ask for an audience with you or any commissioner to discuss the effects that this ordinance has on otherwise tax paying, peace loving, law abiding citizens. I know it will take fortitude to face the facts and I will want more than a five minute limitation. This is far too serious a situation to just pass off as a quick ‘oh by the way’ conversation.
I have included an outline of my life. It is based just on me, but I am sure there are numerous others who are just as well equipped with a respectable background but are being punished by this ex-post facto ordinance. If you think that the registry and ordinance is not punishment beyond the bounds of the court sentence, just try it on for size for a while. I’m sure you will change your mind.
“The whole fear tactic was started when a member of the US Supreme Court cited an article in the AMA Journal…”
Actually, it was an article in a rag called Psychology Today. –Sort of a Jerry Springer to the AMA’s Walter Cronkite.
But nice letter, dude!
Here is another story on this: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2020/07/20/tobia-restrict-access-kid-focused-businesses-sex-offenders/5470405002/
How interesting can this be.
Last week I was offered a job at the Kennedy Space Station. I was a very good developer while in Florida with 20+ years of design and implementation experience.
But since this garbage State decided to set me up and conceal the evidence, and set me up again, I decided I will never design nor develop nor train anyone ever from that State or with any association to that State.
I rather work for ANY other country at this point. The day I am offered a job visa to move abroad I am gone.
I just submitted an email to each of the Brevard commissioners. It was not as good as the FAC letter but that doesn’t matter. As long as they get a boatload of emails protesting this with at least one good reason, then they should know that there is a lot of opposition to this nonsense. I urge ever FAC member, family and friends to deluge them with protests.
I sent my e-mail on this subject to all of the commissioners, especially Tobias, this past Saturday. I requested an audience with any or all of them. If I do not receive a response by this Tuesday evening I will send them a ‘barn burner’ and there will be no BCC’s. They will get to know exactly who is aware of their actions…or inactions as the case may be. I’m sick and tired of politicians that do not have the fortitude to answer for their actions, especially when those action negatively impact citizens and their families. It’s time to hold them accountable and I am not one to hold my punches.