CTA: Florida bill banning SOs from residing near pools, beaches, lakes, rivers
House Bill 45 and Senate Bill 212 seek to add to the 1,000 ft residency restrictions of childcare facilities, schools, parks and playgrounds by including “public swimming pools” and “public bathing places”. These residency restrictions result in 80% or more of Florida being off limits for registrant housing. Registrants who have committed one of the enumerated offenses; involving a victim under 16 years of age; and after 2004 for a Florida offense or 2010 for an out-of-state offense would be required to move before July 1, 2026, under the current version of the law.
The Florida Sheriffs Association President stated that these bills close a loophole and are a priority of the Florida Sheriffs Association. The Senate sponsor stated the bill is a clarification, but it’s actually an expansion. They want to expand the exclusion zone.
Florida Statute 514.011 Definitions. (2) “Public swimming pool” or “public pool” means a watertight structure of concrete, masonry, or other approved materials which is located either indoors or outdoors, used for bathing or swimming by humans, and filled with a filtered and disinfected water supply, together with buildings, appurtenances, and equipment used in connection therewith. A public swimming pool or public pool shall mean a conventional pool, spa-type pool, wading pool, special purpose pool, spray pool, splash pad, or water recreation attraction, to which admission may be gained with or without payment of a fee and includes, but is not limited to, pools operated by or serving camps, churches, cities, counties, “child care facilities” via this bill to replace “day care centers”, group home facilities for eight or more clients, health spas, institutions, parks, state agencies, schools, subdivisions, or the cooperative living-type projects of five or more living units, such as apartments, boardinghouses, hotels, mobile home parks, motels, recreational vehicle parks, and townhouses.
Florida Statute 514.011 Definitions. (4) “Public bathing place” means a body of water, natural or modified by humans, for swimming, diving, and recreational bathing used by consent of the owner or owners and held out to the public by any person or public body, irrespective of whether a fee is charged for the use thereof. The bathing water areas of public bathing places include, but are not limited to, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, artificial impoundments, and waters along the coastal and intracoastal beaches and shores of the state.
TALKING POINTS: Your first two sentences should be “I oppose HB 45 and SB 212. They are fundamentally and morally flawed.”
Please choose one or two points at the most. Use your own words. Tell personal stories in an uplifting manner such as “I served 10 years in prison, 5 years on probation and now support my spouse and children and give to my community”.
If you are using the telephone, please keep your message to 1 minute or less. If you are emailing, please keep your message to three paragraphs or less. If you call after hours, your voice mail will be counted.
FAMILY IMPACTS: This bill will –
Eliminate safe housing for thousands of people who will no longer be able to live in places that are safe for registrants and their children/families (not usually targeted by vigilantes).
Force me to move from my home of decades, leave my neighbors and job. The water-related restrictions would apply retroactively to those with offenses after Oct 1, 2004. This bill would immediately eject those who were previously in compliance if their offense date is after Oct. 1, 2004.
Prevent my children and me from living in our home.
Prevent my tenants from living in a safe, secure environment.
LEGAL IMPACTS:
HB 45 and SB 212 are perhaps illegal and unconstitutional as they would result in most of Florida being an exclusion zone for people on the sex offender registry.
A map of Florida “public swimming pool and public bathing places” exclusion zones is required for law enforcement and registrants to be compliant.
Banishment: Approximately 74% (reasonable range 65 – 80%) of existing dwelling units in Florida are within 1,000 feet of water/pools (Chat GPT estimate using GIS-based data). Further, with the inclusion of other current Florida statute residency restrictions, this bill, if enacted, would result in most of Florida being an exclusion zone for people on the sex offender registry.
In Miami-Dade county, 94% (reasonable range 90 – 97%) of existing dwelling units are within 1,000 feet of water/pools (Chat GPT estimate using GIS-based data).
Similar to the overall Florida population, most people labeled as sex offenders currently live within 1,000 ft of either a public bathing place or a public swimming pool as defined in Florida Statutes.
Mass Migration: This bill would require thousands of registrants, their children, and their families to move to “dry land” small inclusion zones in the larger counties and the Panhandle where jobs are scarce. Hence, increasing dependency on social services.
EMAIL ADDRESSES and PHONE NUMBERS for house criminal justice subcommittee:
Chair Danny Alvarez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5069
Vice Chair Webster Barnaby: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5029
Democratic Ranking Member Johanna Lopez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5043
Rep. Jessica Baker: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5017
Rep. Doug Bankson: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5039
Rep. Robin Bartleman: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5103
Rep. Robert Brackett: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5034
Rep. Tom Fabricio: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5110
Rep. Michael Gottlieb: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5102
Rep. Sam Greco: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5019
Rep. JJ Grow: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5023
Rep. Dianne Hart: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5063
Rep. Bill Partington: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5028
Rep. Rachel Plakon: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5036
Rep. Kelly Skidmore: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5092
Rep. Kevin Steele: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5055
Rep. Taylor Yarkosky: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5025
EMAIL ADDRESSES and PHONE NUMBERS for Senate criminal justice committee:
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
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Why anyone remains in this state is beyond understanding. Since I moved out of Florida my life has been normal. I can go where I please, live where I want, fish and swim at the beaches where I want.
Well, since FLDE & Probation Offices have been telling registrants that they’ve been prohibited by law from visiting & living at/near these places for the past 20yrs, at least they’re admitting that there’s never been such a law in place to begin with.
Probation has different rules
They will keep pushing because they know they can. The only thing people are going to do is protest and cry, because they’re afraid of losing their lives. They lump everyone together even if you’re falsely convicted or if you simply urinated outside. They don’t care. They love having their false power over people.
You’re right. They’re not afraid of us. In grade school, the bully would keep hitting me until I hit back. I think these legislative bullies are the same way.
The post doesn’t even mention beaches, which would presumably be a body of water that the public uses for bathing or swimming. And Florida has 8,400 MILES of it. And how does this affect those that earn a living cleaning pools, building docks, or even commercial or recreational fishing?
It mentions natural bodies of water. It’s further into the text of the bill but it’s there.
So by this definition, a puddle could be considered a natural body of water 🤦
I will surely answer this call to action and send all the emails, as usual.
So, I can’t even live on my boat if this passes? If it does pass, I may be inclined to take the criminal charge and have public defenders take the case.