Despite loosening their sex offender residency restrictions, Ft. Lauderdale transient numbers climb.
A couple of years ago, Fort Lauderdale’s sex offender residency restriction (SORR) was declared unconstitutional.
In response, the Ft. Lauderdale City Commissioners voted to lessen their SORR to try and make it pass constitutional muster. Despite warnings that the new ordinance still didn’t go far enough to have an impact, the new SORR was enacted.
Now, one year later, a subcommittee of the Broward County Criminal Justice Reentry Coalition that is responsible for examining and making recommendations on Sex Offender Housing Issues, found that despite loosening the restrictions, the number of homeless registrants has actually INCREASED during the past year. “While the percentage of transients did go down by a small amount (from 47.6% of the registrant population in August 2018 to 45.2%, currently) the actual number of homeless registrants in Ft. Lauderdale increased (from 252 then to 269 now).” the Report found.
As for the entire County of Broward, “the registrant population increased by only 1.8% in the last 14 months, the homeless registrant population increased by 3.98%. As we warned previously, with a growing registrant population and a diminishing supply of compliant housing, the numbers will continue to grow rapidly.”
The letter (which can be read here) was sent in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the Subcommittee’s pleas to the League of Cities to suspend the residency restrictions during this period, where schools, parks and playgrounds are closed anyhow. A member of the Subcommittee followed up with Ft. Lauderdale commissioners but has received no response.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I feel that this is a step in the right direction however, it is still VERY difficult for sex offenders (myself included) to get any kind of housing because of my label. When prospective landlords look into your past and see your label, they never go any further than that. They don’t for one understand the difference between sex offender and sexual predator. The people need to be educated on the difference. I feel that the year of the offense should be put on the website of when the offense occurred. Mine happened in 1986, when you get the answer no from these companies you would think it just happened yesterday as they look at you with disgust.
The time the offense happened and the explanation of the title needs to be conveyed to the public. A simple urinating in public should not be looked at the same way as someone who has molested a minor(s), rape etc.