Do Central Florida theme parks screen for sex offenders?
Orlando, Florida’s WESH, aired a report on sex offenders in theme parks this evening which featured commentary from FAC’s President, Gail Colletta.
You can watch the report here: https://www.wesh.com/article/sex-offenders-at-florida-theme-parks/27269367
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Was just there last week with my family (we are from out of state) and had no issues. Bought our tickets at our local base MWR office for a nice discount. Had to put names/ticket numbers in online for food reservations and fast pass rides but that didn’t seem to raise any flags. Hopefully nothing will change in a few years if we go again!
Bush Gardens is under Disney too. I was wondering the same. As it would just suck not to be able to go to any amusement park for someone who would even hurt kids anyways despite their registry.
This needs a legal challenge insofar as out of state or country sex offenders have no issues.
I have had season passes for myself and my kids. I have never had any problems or been refused park admission. I have been on the Fl. Registry since 2000
Did you get season passes this year? Any issues? My stomach turns thinking about getting the kids amped up to go and then getting denied at the gate.
DO NOT GET SEASON PASSES FOR SOMEONE ON THE REGISTRY
We’re not planning on season passes. I was responding to the poster. We’re planning on a 5 day hopper with our kids. Any info on that?
Anecdotally, people who have purchased tickets daily have not had issues.
Now this was 4 years ago so things may have changed. But here’s my story: I bought a season pass to Disney a few years ago. There was NOTHING on their website to warn me away and there is NOTHING in the law (that I am aware of) that says I can’t be on site. The first visit went wonderfully. On the second, I was stopped at the gate and escorted by security to a back off. There they explained they did a background check (on FL residents who buy passes) and as such my pass was cancelled. They also informed me that I am barred from any Disney property and if I come back, they have the option to have me charged with trespassing. They were very polite and professional about it and I took no offense. They did give me a full refund of my pass but did have a county sheriff (discreetly) escort me off the property.
The key to this is their background checks for annual pass holder’s. If you want to go to Disney or another theme park, just buy a daily pass and keep a low profile. If the ask for ID, tell em you lost it and provide a fake name if asked by a park security guard. No crime there. Just don’t lie to cops about your identity in Florida as that can be construed as “obstruction by disguise” in violation of FSS 843.03.
So dumb question I guess but don’t you have to carry your I’d at all times?
Just want to say I thought you were my husband, because our story is LITERALLY a carbon copy of yours. My husband was actually trespassed, not sure if you were or not.
Such a joke, and just another way to keep the pearl clutchers all riled up. This assisnine rule at Disney has been in effect since 2013, they’re just now really enforcing it(supposedly because they’re staff have been better trained in identifying the statutes printed on ones driver’s license,that’s the line we were fed when we went through our Disney fiasco in 2016) One question I do have, according to this article, because Disney is a private company, they can ban anyone they want(for the most part), if that’s the case, why don’t they just put it out there on their website? Why not just clearly state “no sex offenders allowed, you will be banned and tresspassed” instead of the generic”we reserve the right to deny entry” nonsense? Is that because Disney, or any private company for that matter, could be sued for being specific on who’s allowed in and who isn’t? I’m curious
I think a “magical” place like Disney doesn’t want their customers to see terms like “sex offender”, for any reason, when they book their tickets while exploring the website. They also don’t want customers to even have a sense that it’s possible for any sex offender to be in their parks. If they don’t bring the idea of sex offenders to their customers’ naive minds, then nothing else will. I wonder if the deputy would threaten to arrest someone who shouted “I am a registered sex offender” as they are escorted from the park. Disney would have a fit if they found out. It might even make the news.
I think it should be like this though because I think people should have a chance to get in if they can. They went too jail to pay their sentence and instead they pay it for the rest of their lives. Not all sex offenders are child molesters or terrible criminals, but unfortnutely they get the worst wrap, even worse then most murder criminals. Really most sex offenders, not all,, are harmless. They don’t steal, or rob, or any other criminal issues so it is really sad how badly this rings.
Well, if you keep calling them “sex offenders” then they really are special offenders forever. I don’t want any kind of “offender” around my family, especially a “gun offender” or “violent offender”.
There are people who are listed on the Sex Offense Registries who haven’t been on probation or parole for decades. They aren’t offenders of any kind. They are People Forced to Register by illegitimate, immoral, criminal regimes, at the point of their guns and other lethal weapons. I’d call such a person a “Person Forced to Register”.
Hello all, I’d like to lend some knowledge about the politics surrounding theme parks and registered citizens for those who may not know. I’m a Florida native of more than 50 years, which means I predate Disney in Central Florida.
First, Florida is nowadays a very transient state with an estimated 8 million people visiting Central Florida every year. As a Florida native, born and raised in Central Florida even before Disney arrived in 1971, I can assure you that those numbers are certainly growing every year. Florida no longer has it’s strong foothold on the cattle and citrus industries it once had. Today, it’s almost all about tourism and tourism dollars to fund local and state governments.
Second, the theme parks spend billions of dollars to promote themselves and their ilk, including the politicians they support. This naturally influences sheriff’s, judges, law makers, etc.
Third, it is axiomatic that the theme parks would yank a pass holder’s credentials and call the cops to issue trespass warnings to someone on the registry. They have to keep up their propaganda that Central Florida is the happiest place on Earth. Btw, they do keep their records for years, so if that happens to you don’t go back or you will surely be arrested for “trespass after warning.”
Fourth, it is also axiomatic that local judges typically order sex offenders to not enter any place where children frequently congregate including theme parks. The reason for such an order should be glaringly obvious since such orders are virtually paid for by the them parks.
So, there you have it … real news the media will never report because Disney and Universal Studios own them.
Keep fight all.