Dangerous Misinformation: Halloween
The office of Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, put out some dangerous misinformation this past week.
In this article it is reported that Ms. Moody’s office suggested “that parents visit the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website to see a list of all registered sex offenders and predators living within a five mile radius of any Florida neighborhood. Florida law prohibits sex offenders from distributing candy or other items to children on Halloween. Attorney General Moody asks Floridians who encounter a sex offender handing out candy to notify authorities.”
In fact, Florida Law DOES NOT prohibit all persons required to register from distributing candy or other items to children on Halloween. The law only applies to probationer or community controllees. (F.S. 948.30)
So now you invite all Floridians to report people to the authorities for engaging in conduct that is perfectly lawful? That’s what the article says, but in the video that appears in the article, Ms. Moody makes no mention of sex offenders.
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I have added AG Moody to my Media Blitz Phase 3 list.
The elected officials are not only discouraging us from participating in life, they’re actively trying to get the public to tattle-tale on us out of spite!!
Wow 20+ years & I always thought I was forbidden to participate in Halloween and anything to do with it. I have literally sat in the dark on Halloween or the designated trick or treat day all this time. I have children that suffered because of misinformation from Florida and Georgia
If your not on probation you can hand out candy and decorate if you choose to. To my understanding. However it would probably not be a wise move. Even tho 99% of us won’t harm anyone. The unwanted attention wouldn’t be worth the headache IMO.
Yes, your correct this ONLY pertains to individuals that are on Probation. In fact I have included the updated F.S. and if you notice the heading “ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OS PROBATION OR COMMUNITY CONTROL”. We need to address this with the AG’s office.
948.30 Additional terms and conditions of probation or community control for certain sex offenses.—Conditions imposed pursuant to this section do not require oral pronouncement at the time of sentencing and shall be considered standard conditions of probation or community control for offenders specified in this section.
(1) Effective for probationers or community controllees whose crime was committed on or after October 1, 1995, and who are placed under supervision for a violation of chapter 794, s. 800.04, s. 827.071, s. 847.0135(5), or s. 847.0145, or whose crime was committed on or after July 1, 2021, and who are placed under supervision for a violation of s. 787.06(3)(b), (d), (f), or (g), the court must impose the following conditions in addition to all other standard and special conditions imposed:
Sounds like that sheriff’s department is trying to pawn off their Halloween compliance checks for probationed and paroled people on to the community. Which is opening a huge can of worms. For both sides.
Oh did you guys happen to see all the violence during Halloween that ended up with several teems killed and several others wounded. The registry sure did its job in protecting these children. Js
Didn’t see all that, but sure glad all them poor kids were protected from them registrants. Amazing how the very thought of maybe, possibly, asteroid-hitting-earth-while-lightning-strikes-you-twice -and-winning-the-lottery chance of a sex offense invokes such yellow-belly fear and knee-jerk antagonism while the very real likelihood of violence is disregarded!
Yeah, I can’t remember where in Florida that took place but there was two teens killed and one adult that was killed Halloween night. Then there was a few other news articles on my news feed about teens involving violence during Halloween night. I’m not sure if that was just the same article but the headline worded differently. I never read them all but from what gather. There was a handful of teens that died due to gun violence over Halloween night.
Teens shooting teens in downtown Orlando on Halloween night…but the registry is supposed to protect them.
If the statute is indeed correct, than you better believe it that they will probably have that changed soon.