FAC Weekly Update 2025-10-28-Halloween Time Again

Weekly update for October 28, 2025. This is recording number 335.

Dear Members and Advocates,

It’s that time of year again! There will always be dates or times that are particularly stressful or traumatic for certain people. As a kid, I remember seeing “back to school” commercials on TV and feeling anxiety knowing the first day is coming. For accountants, that day might be April 15^th (tax day).  For some it’s September 11^th. For those on the registry, this time of year represents a particularly stressful period marked by increased compliance checks, constant news reports reminding parents to “check the registry,” and heightened scrutiny from law enforcement and the public alike. Yet, year after year, Halloween comes and goes without any increase in sexual crimes or abductions taking place. Despite the hysteria, the data simply doesn’t support the fear.

For registrants, Halloween often brings added stress in the form of curfews, mandatory check-ins, forced signage such as “No Candy” notices, and increased home visits by police. These measures are based on myths, not facts. Scientific Studies and reports from the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA)  consistently show no correlation between Halloween and sex crimes, yet every October the same fear-based rituals repeat. Law enforcement officers spend hours conducting compliance sweeps and generating headlines instead of focusing on real threats to community safety.

Here’s what you need to know about the holiday:

Florida Statute Sec. 948.30 contains “A prohibition on distributing candy or other items to children on Halloween; wearing a Santa Claus costume, or other costume to appeal to children, on or preceding Christmas; wearing an Easter Bunny costume, or other costume to appeal to children, on or preceding Easter; entertaining at children’s parties; or wearing a clown costume; without prior approval from the court” for those who are on probation or community control for a crime that was committed on or after May 26, 2010. While Florida does not have a uniform statewide “Halloween-specific” law that applies to all registered sex offenders (except those on probation or community control), several local jurisdictions within Florida have passed ordinances that do restrict the Halloween activities of registered sex offenders or sexual predators (even those who are not on probation or community control, even those who committed an offense decades ago and never had to abide by these restrictions since).

For example; just a couple of months ago Putnam County enacted a new ordinance that included Halloween restrictions that apply to ALL registrants, on probation or not, regardless of how long ago the offense took place. It provides:

(1) Sexual offenders and predators may not participate in Halloween or Fall Festival events involving children, such as distributing candy or wearing costumes to attract them.

(2) On or about October 31, they must:

1. Avoid all Halloween/Fall Festival contact with children.
2. Keep outside residential lighting off after 5:00 p.m. EST, and
3. Display no exterior decorations to entice children.
4. Exceptions, events with their related children, where no unrelated children are present, are exempt.

There are 67 counties in Florida and 411 cities, towns or villages, most of which have ordinances governing the movement and activities of registrants. Even if you are not on probation, it’s prudent to check Municode for your County AND City’s ordinance, or, contact the County AND City attorney or the County AND City police department where you live to ask what restrictions apply to you. If you are reading this weekly update on our website, please share your findings in the comments below to save others’ time.

FAC urges everyone to remember that safety is not achieved through fear or performative enforcement. If you see a story on your local news site, share the research linked to above and remind the media outlets that policies and operations that target people on the registry during Halloween have been shown to be useless, ineffective, and in some cases, unconstitutional. Courts across the country have struck down blanket restrictions and forced-signage ordinances, recognizing that they serve no legitimate safety purpose and instead inflict unnecessary harm.

As this Halloween passes, we encourage our members and supporters to stay calm, stay compliant, and stay informed. Let’s continue to push back against policies rooted in myth rather than evidence. The facts are clear: Halloween is not a high-risk day for sexual crime. The real danger lies in letting fear and misinformation drive public policy.

Sincerely,

The Florida Action Committee