FAC in the News – PRESS RELEASE Regarding the Green License Plates
Senator Lauren Book waited until after-hours on the 50th day of the Legislative session to submit an amendment to SB 1252 (#589098 filed 4/25/2023 at 9:02pm) that would require special fluorescent green license plates assigned to persons forced to register (PFR) as sex offenders. FAC Immediately issued the following Press Release:
Florida State Senator Lauren Book Proposes Special Fluorescent Green License Plates for Spouses and Children of Persons Required to Register as Sex Offenders
According to Gail Colletta, President of the Florida Action Committee, such a policy would gravely threaten the safety and property not only of persons required to register as sexual offenders, but also their family members and in some cases roommates, extended family, or even friends. “As Senator Book well knows, the Florida Statutes define a vehicle owned by a person required to register as a sex offender not only as their own car, but as any vehicle parked at the registrant’s home for five days or more. This obviously includes the registrant’s spouse and children, but in many cases also includes roommates, extended family, and friends visiting for a week. Book’s amendment to SB 1252 should shock and terrify every citizen in the state of Florida,” Colletta said.
When asked why Book, a South Florida Democrat who describes herself as “an educator and public servant working to make life better for all Floridians” would propose such a dangerous and unconstitutional law, Colletta pointed out that Book has a history of proposing extreme legislation targeting those who have committed even relatively minor sexual offenses, along with their families. Colletta noted that “Lauren Book apparently is oblivious to, or just doesn’t care, that her fluorescent green license plate amendment would put registrants and their families at extreme risk of not only harassment but physical violence. I’m sure Book would say that registrants should have thought of that before they committed their offenses, but how could they have possibly contemplated such a law in some cases decades before the fact? And what about their families? What did their child do to deserve a special fluorescent license plate forced on her car by the state? When it comes to piling on additional punishment long after registrants have completed their sentences, the Legislature just can’t seem to help itself.”
The Florida Action Committee (FAC), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the public through the passage of rational laws based on empirical evidence, has urged other state senators to vote against Book’s dangerous anti-family amendment. An official spokesperson for the Florida Action Committee confirmed that if Book’s amendment eventually passes, it will immediately be challenged in court.
I am a classroom teacher. My personal life has been kept private until now. Based upon the information in the legislation, my car will also have the fluorescent green tag since my husband and I both own the vehicle. How can I park my vehicle in the school parking lot without facing public scrutiny? Students and parents will talk and spread false information. How can I maintain a professional stand in the community when my private life will be dismembered and opinions formed about me? When I married my husband, there was only the registration and we dealt with that when we moved to a new neighborhood. But this will directly target me. I am beyond saddened and fear that I may need to look for a new career if this goes into effect.
Write that exactly to these people:
berman.lori.web@flsenate.gov
jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov
osgood.rosalind.web@flsenate.gov
thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov
stewart.linda.web@flsenate.gov
Tell them it will have unintended consequences
I think the green licenses plates and the red lettering is obviously unconstitutional by doing this it will have more harm then good you will have more crime going against family members.
They want sex offenders to go on with there life how can they if people keep harassing them and changing the laws make there life worse.
Especially sex offenders with Autism who don’t understand there situation of what they have done and ones that are first offenders and trying to improve there life. I think the legislature should vote against both bills.
Most of these cases are family related and NOT stranger danger cases as the narrative suggest. This green fluorescent tag and red DL, is very irresponsible. It destroys the lives of those on the list and puts their family and young children in extreme danger.
No child involved in many of the stings.
And I myself got caught in the first sting. And in my case, I stumbled upon the site. I was looking for adult but certainly didn’t expect to see what I saw.
Everyone makes mistakes and stuff like just is like being a big bully picking on others and not giving them a chance to amend their wrongs and become productive members of society. They just get their little joys on picking on others.
We need better leadership who understands and wants to help those who went wrong.
Senator Lauren Book is a [moderated]. She knows perfectly that time has proven the registry ineffective and useless. It is clear that more people have been harmed by the registry than if it had never existed. This includes the murder of registrants and untold pain and suffering of the families of those listed!
Certainly it has caused more harm to children than no registry at all! To continue to push this farce is directly placing innocent children in harms way. Doesn’t Lauren Book care? It appears she does not actually care about children at all (or is very selective about which ones)!
Why would Lauren want this? Does she really love money more than children’s safety? I think that the answer is a clear YES! Time for her to end her rain of [moderated], take her [moderated] money and disappear!
I think that in some cases the public should be aware but then like everyone else should be allowed to redeem themselves from their wrongs. If they did something dangerous or harmful let the law watch them and work with them to help them understand the redeem. Otherwise it’ll get to a point we all could be victims of a lone vigilantly with an age to grind. That’s what concerns me the most is that someone will feel it’s OK to kill someone because of their past actions. I met several people in jail with this mindset and that’s scary.
Society needs to be more tolerant and understand not everyone is a dangerous person.
This has been asked in comments on other posts: Has FAC or any other groups in Florida gotten in touch with the ACLU to file an injunction, so we can have the time to fight this in court?
If not, does anyone know how we go about soliciting the ACLU for help?
SB 1252 is scheduled to be read as the last item today, April 28, 2023, according to the special order calendar. Continue to pepper the senators to reject Lauren Book’s proposed amendments and vote in favor of DiCeglie’s amendment to strike the “red letter” law from the bill.