FAC Weekly Update 2025-10-07-Special Treatment, Swimming Pools and Invisible Circles

Weekly update for October 7, 2025. This is recording number 332.

Dear Members and Advocates,

The new term of the U.S. Supreme Court officially opened this week. As of now, there are no cases on the docket that directly impact individuals required to register or that address broader issues surrounding the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). However, as the term progresses, FAC will continue monitoring for any petitions for certiorari that could have implications for our population.

On its first day back in session, the Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her federal sex-trafficking conviction, leaving her 20-year sentence intact. That doesn’t mean that her recent move to a prison camp (which NEVER happens for persons with a “Sex Offender” Public Safety Factor), isn’t a sign that a pardon or something else might not be brewing for Ghislaine. Still, the SCOTUS’ denial highlights how rarely the highest Court agrees to take on sex offense cases.

In related news, last week, Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced for violating the federal Mann Act, specifically for transporting an individual for prostitution. Although his Judgment and Commitment order has not yet been posted to PACER, it appears highly unlikely that Combs will be required to register as a sex offender, since he was acquitted of the more serious sex trafficking counts. Under Federal Law, 18 U.S.C. § 2421 (Transportation for Prostitution) involving adults only is not a “sex offense”. Under some state laws however, the elements of his crime might require registration, so Diddy’s legal team is probably doing some due diligence to decide where he will be released to and live to make sure he has no registration obligations in that state. President Trump also confirmed yesterday that Diddy asked him for a pardon.

Also last week, Trump’s former spiritual advisor pled guilty to sex crimes. Then remember that a couple of months ago, Trump picked NFL Hall of Famer (and Florida registrant) Lawrence Taylor, to join his Present’s Council on Physical Fitness. This is not a knock on Trump to be associated with so many people charged with sex crimes. Rather, it’s a recognition that the universe of registrants is becoming larger. As more people connected to prominent figures become associated with the registry, it may actually help the public better understand its realities. When someone known for good deeds and accomplishments ends up on the registry, it challenges the simplistic idea that registrants are all “monsters.” Each time someone personally knows or recognizes a name on the registry, it humanizes the issue. It’s harder to dehumanize a population when it includes people we’ve worked with, prayed with, or admired. Perhaps this growing awareness will encourage more thoughtful conversations about what the registry has become — not a narrow list of dangerous predators, but a broad and often arbitrary system that ensnares people from every walk of life. Understanding that truth is a step toward meaningful reform.

In addition to monitoring the Courts, FAC is monitoring the Florida legislature. So far, one bill is on our radar; House Bill 45, introduced by Rep. Plakon on September 25, 2025. The bill would add “public swimming pools” and “public bathing places” to the 1000 foot state residency restriction statute. So far the bill has no companion in the Senate and no co-sponsors. That might be because it’s pretty ridiculous. Considering a “public bathing place” would include lakes (Florida has over 7,700 lakes larger than 10 acres) and Florida is a peninsula surrounded by water, the new buffer zone would be enormous. A representative of FAC will be meeting with Rep. Plakton today to discuss the bill and our hope is that it will go nowhere.

What isn’t going nowhere (yet) are SORRs. As we predicted, Counties are testing the constitutional limits with their new and creative restrictions. First Putnam County, in addition to a 2500 foot SORR, added a twist that prevents two registrants from living within 500 feet of each other. Now Union County, in addition to a 2500 foot SORR, added a twist that prevents someone from “traveling through” a 2500 foot exclusion zone! Just “traveling through” will get you 60 days in jail!

Let’s think about that for a second… A circle with a 2,500-foot radius covers about 451 acres. So if you are walking from point A to point B (say your home to a grocery store) and there’s a school bus stop anywhere in between, in the best case scenario you need to walk an extra mile and a half around the perimeter of the exclusion zone to avoid “traveling through” it! I say “best case scenario” because that’s assuming there are not two buffer zones in the middle and that the center of the circle is one square foot. Because the buffer zones extend from the edge of the property line, if we’re talking a school, that can easily be an additional three miles out of your way.

I know what you must be thinking… how are you supposed to know where the exclusion zones begin and end? Is there a path to follow? A line on the ground? The answer is you’re not! The Union ordinance, however, contains a provision that registrants are required to “sign an acknowledgement that he or she has received and understands the responsibilities of a sexual offender and sexual predator as those responsibilities are stated on the form” and refusal to sign the acknowledgement will result in a $500 fine or 60 days in jail. Signing is essentially acknowledging you know where all these invisible circles in the county are.

I know what else you must be thinking… is this a joke? Sadly no! As we’ve said before, if we allow these municipalities to keep testing the limits, they will keep coming up with more draconian rules and restrictions. It’s why FAC is pushing back. Our first challenge will be against Putnam County and we are well underway. You can help support the challenge by donating to our general legal fund. In fact, please do so today. It is our plan to take on each new SORR as it comes, but our ability to do so will be dependent on our resources. These challenges will also serve as a deterrent to other municipalities that are considering passing similar ordinances. By supporting our general legal fund, you can help stop the momentum and put us in a stronger position to do something when the insanity comes to your community.

Sincerely,

The Florida Action Committee