CALL TO ACTION – Oppose CS/HB 45 and SB 212

Topic: Oppose CS/HB 45 and SB 212 – Expanding Florida’s Sex Offender Residency Restrictions to Waterways and Pools

Background: Florida legislators are considering House Bill 45 and Senate Bill 212, which would expand existing 1,000-foot residency restrictions to include public swimming pools and public bathing places, such as lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. While intended as a public safety measure, these bills would dramatically expand exclusion zones across the state and create serious legal, practical, and public safety problems.

Under current law, residency restrictions already limit where thousands of Floridians can live. By adding swimming pools and virtually all natural bodies of water, HB 45 and SB 212 would make most residential housing in Florida effectively unavailable to people subject to registration requirements, including apartments, mobile home parks, RV parks, group homes, and motels. These are the very housing options most commonly used by low-income individuals and families.

The bills attempt to “grandfather” some existing residents, but only partially. Individuals may remain where they currently live yet lose that protection if they ever move – even temporarily. As written, the legislation is vague and risks unintended consequences, including potential unconstitutional takings if someone is barred from returning to a home they own or lawfully occupied. Poorly defined retroactivity also raises serious ex-post facto concerns, increasing the likelihood of costly litigation.

From a public safety standpoint, the expansion is counterproductive. Florida’s own Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) has documented that residency restrictions are a significant contributor to homelessness among registrants. Counties with the most restrictive local ordinances experience homelessness rates as high as 30–34%, while counties relying primarily on state law see substantially lower rates. Homelessness makes supervision more difficult, destabilizes families, and undermines rehabilitation—outcomes that do not support community safety.

The bills also introduce significant enforcement problems. Natural waterways shift with tides, storms, and seasonal changes, making 1,000-foot boundaries unclear and constantly moving. Law enforcement would be tasked with tracking not only changing coastlines and rivers, but also determining whether swimming pools were built before or after a person established residence—an unworkable and resource-intensive mandate.

Importantly, over-expanding Florida’s residency restrictions places the entire statutory scheme at risk. Unlike registration itself, Florida’s statewide residency restriction statute has never been reviewed by a Florida appellate court. By extending it to waterways and pools—effectively amounting to geographic banishment—the Legislature increases the risk that courts will find the law punitive and unconstitutional. If that happens, Florida could be left with no statewide residency restrictions at all, an outcome that benefits no one.

What You Can Do: Contact your legislator via phone or email. When contacting legislators, please keep your message brief and respectful.
Make sure you make clear that “I oppose HB 45 and SB 212.”
Then choose one or two points that resonate with you, such as:
• These bills expand residency restrictions so broadly that they increase homelessness and decrease public safety.
• The legislation is vague and risks unconstitutional takings and retroactive punishment.
• Over-reaching restrictions invite court challenges that could invalidate Florida’s residency laws entirely.
• Public safety is better served by stability, supervision, and prevention—not by forcing families into homelessness.
If you call, keep your message under one minute. If emailing, limit your message to three short paragraphs. Messages left after hours are still counted.

Our Shared Goal: Protecting children and strengthening public safety requires policies grounded in evidence, proportionality, and constitutional principles. After individuals have completed their sentences and supervision, successful reintegration—stable housing, employment, and family support—is one of the strongest predictors of long-term safety. Florida should invest in prevention, education, and focused law enforcement efforts that address real risks, rather than expanding exclusion zones that destabilize families and communities.

EMAIL ADDRESSES and PHONE NUMBERS
House Leadership
Speaker of the House: Speaker Danny Perez, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Next Speaker of the House: Rep. Garrison (Clay), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5011
Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. Wyman Duggan (Duval), [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5012
Majority Leader: Rep. Tyler Sirois, [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5031
Minority Leader: Rep. Fentrice Driskell (Hillsborough), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5067
House Judicial Committee
Staff Director: [email protected]
Administrative Lead: [email protected]
Administrative Support: [email protected]
Chair Chuck Brannan: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5010
Vice Chair Webster Barnaby: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5029
Republican Party Whip David Borrero: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5111
Democratic Ranking Member Michael Gottlieb: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5102
Rep. Jon Albert: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5048
Rep. Danny Alvarez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5069
Rep. Adam Anderson, [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5057
Rep. Bruce Antone, [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5041
Rep. Jessica Baker: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5017
Rep. Hillary Cassel: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5101
Rep. Kevin Chambliss: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5117
Rep. Dan Daley: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5096
Rep. Tom Fabricio: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5110
Rep. Dotie Joseph: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5108
Rep. Traci Koster: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5066
Rep. Johanna Lopez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5043
Rep. Patt Maney: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5004
Rep. Rachel Plakon: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5036
Rep. Juan Carlos Porras: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5119
Rep. Michelle Salzman: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5001
Rep. Kevin Steele: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5055

Senate criminal justice committee
Staff Director: Marti Harkness: [email protected] 850-487-5770 (updated phone number)
Chair Senator Jonathan Martin: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 850-487-5033
Vice Chair Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith: [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5017
Senator Mack Bernard: [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5024
Senator Jennifer Bradley: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5006
Senator IIeana Garcia: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5036
Senator Jason Pizzo: [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5037
Senator Corey Simon: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5003
Senator Clay Yarborough: [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5004