FAC Weekly Update 2026-02-24-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on HB 45/SB 212
Weekly update for February 24, 2026. This is recording number 356
Dear Members and Advocates,
This week, we bring you the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Let’s start with the bad news… CS/HB 45 sailed through the House Judiciary Committee today. It was not unexpected. If you watched the hearing, you could tell that many votes were locked in before the first word of testimony was spoken. Still, it is deeply disappointing to see another bill advance that will do little to enhance public safety while predictably increasing homelessness and instability among registrants. We have said it before and we will say it again: instability does not equal safety. Policies that push people into homelessness make monitoring harder, not easier. They increase desperation, not accountability. Yet here we are again.
Now for the good news… What passed out of committee is a dramatically watered-down version of what was originally proposed. That did not happen by accident. It happened because of advocacy, education, and pressure. Our Legislative Committee and all the members who stepped up, wrote in, and called, did a tremendous job and have been hugely effective!
The original bill included sweeping proximity ordinances. Those have been removed. Instead, the language now focuses on prohibiting approaching or communicating with minors you don’t know in specified places – which, frankly, is a standard no adult should violate anywhere. The bill also initially included vague restrictions on “public bathing areas.” That language has been removed. Beaches, lakes, and fishing areas remain accessible for all.
These changes matter. They reflect that when lawmakers are confronted with real-world consequences and constitutional concerns, some are willing to adjust. It also reflects the tremendous efforts of all of you. If we had remained silent, there would have been no opposition and we’d be stuck with what they sought to impose originally. It is not total victory, but it is movement. Importantly we must also recognize the three representatives who had the courage to vote no. Two of them explicitly acknowledged that Florida should not lump everyone into the same basket. That matters for reasons we will get into shortly, because that is a core problem with Florida’s registry.
Then there was the ugly… One committee member claimed that 100% of registrants will reoffend. That is demonstrably false. Even the committee’s own materials contradict that claim. Another suggested he would prefer that all registrants simply leave the state. But removing people from Florida does nothing to reduce sexual harm because roughly 95% of sexual offenses are committed by individuals not on the registry. These kinds of inflammatory comments are unnecessary, irresponsible and just ugly. They may generate political brownie points, but they do not generate sound policy. They just misguide their constituents with false information and encourage vigilantism.
Amid the noise, however, there is an emerging concept that deserves attention: individualized assessment. As one representative suggested, “we may be catching dolphins in the tuna nets.”
This is an interesting and timely point to make, because at the federal level lawmakers just dealt with this very point. The United States Sentencing Commission recently adopted Amendment 835, effective November 1, 2025, clarifying that supervised release is not meant to be imposed reflexively. Courts are directed to make individualized determinations about whether supervision is actually necessary. The Commission cited the Supreme Court case of Johnson v. United States, emphasizing that supervision should ensure that those who need oversight receive it, while preventing probation resources from being wasted on those who do not. That principle is simple: finite resources should be directed where they are most needed.
Why should registration be any different? Florida has finite law enforcement resources, finite compliant housing, a growing registry population, expanding restrictions that get added to nearly every year. Yet we have no meaningful mechanism for attrition. A tiered system – one that allows individuals who have demonstrated years or decades of law-abiding behavior to fall off the registry – would not solve every problem, but it would free up housing, law enforcement resources, and focus attention on individuals who genuinely present higher risk. It would also align incentives with public safety.
If Florida just tells people, “No matter what you do, no matter how long you remain law-abiding, you will always be banished, always publicly shamed, always restricted,” what incentive is there for rehabilitation? As one member of Congress (Rep. Lee, who used to be a criminal court judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida) stated, “Our criminal justice system should be fair and focused on public safety… When someone takes responsibility, seeks treatment, works, supports their family, and repairs harm — that should matter.” And it should! Accountability without hope is not justice. It is stagnation.
So where do we go from here? HB 45 and SB 212 are still moving forward and we will continue fighting these bills. Even in their amended form, it expands restrictions in ways that raise serious constitutional and policy concerns. But the recent weeks also reveals something important. We are seeing success in slowly shifting the conversation. Some lawmakers are beginning to question blanket policies. Some are recognizing that one-size-fits-all approaches do not maximize safety. Some are acknowledging that risk is not static and people are not identical. Maybe these lawmakers might consider sponsoring a bill to tier the Florida registry or provide for individualized assessments prior to imposing restrictions?
The road is long. The rhetoric is loud. But progress rarely comes in dramatic victories (absent a court decision – which is still very much on the table). More often, it comes in incremental improvements and chipping away at things as we have been successful in doing so far and will continue to do.
Thanks for fighting the good fight along with us!
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Hi all. I wanted you to know I sent an email to Representative Skidmore about revamping FLSORNA so we will see. Fingers crossed. She is the one who asked about tier’s and risk assessment.
Tearful
Maybe she is one of the more reasonable people who can look at both sides of a situation and not just look past us as nonexistent persons. No person on earth is perfect and I often wonder what secrets some lawmakers are hiding in their own closets.
This representative seems to be open to discussions and change for the good. Let’s hope and pray she can have some influence for change. We seem to never get a chance to prove we are not all monsters.
For example, myself, it is coming up soon for my 30th anniversary since my crime and yet I am still paying for it every day I wake up alive. My family and loved ones also pay for it because if one family member is hurting, we are all hurting.
More political grandstanding from Nancy Mace.
My wife and I live in the Northeast, are in our 70’s now, and need to be closer to our children and grandkids who happen to live in Florida. I am no longer required to register, but I’ve seen some horror stories about what happens if you move there. I would like to hear it first hand from those in the group: Is it really the scorched earth hellscape they say it is for past and present PFR’s? How has your info being posted impacted your life and your children and spouses? And how difficult would it be to actually find a place to live? For those who are already there, what has kept you living in Florida if things are so bad there (as it seems they are?). I’d like to hear from those who are living it, rather than talk with some attorney who may or may not be up to speed on what is actually happening on the ground. Proposed laws like the one being discussed here are chilling. Thank you.
“Scorched earth hellscape” may be putting it a little strongly for those in your position who already have stable income plus stable housing plus strong family support (all three). Many people don’t.
And Florida has what Janice Bellucci has referred to as a “flypaper” registry— once you’re on it, there’s virtually no path off. Which may explain some peoples’ reasoning for remaining in the state— if not even leaving the state will remove me from the internet, may as well stay and enjoy the nice climate.
We had a member relocate from Florida to a northeastern state. He bragged about how “free” he felt and complained that his continued Florida registry internet listing remained his main source of inconvenience. But a registered colleague of his wrote that he (the colleague) continued to enjoy his retirement in Florida and got on well with his neighbors.
Couldn’t you just encourage your kids and grandkids to come spend more time with you in the northeast during the summer months (or during ski season)?
Hoping do not come to Florida. Georgia would be better if you want to be close your children and grandkids. Valdosta is nice and about 4 hours from Tampa 3 from Orlando and about 1 from Jax. Just my advice.
Hoping
They are NOT stories, they are real, true life events. Come to Florida with a past or current registerable offense and be locked in for life on the registry here. I have seen numerous people come down for vacation after being removed in their state, only to be a lifer in Florida. And leaving Florida does not necessarily remove you from the registry here. And lastly, Florida keeps the deceased on the registry as well if that tells you anything.
And, not just moving here, I have seen people come just for a vacation and end up on our registry. Not sure how they find out you visited but they sure spend a LOT of funds to find people to add to their lifelong lists.
Dear Hoping For Hope,
What you need to understand is that Florida, along with at least 35 other states, has registry laws that say (paraphrasing) that if you have EVER BEEN CONVICTED of a sexual offense in another state, then you must register with us if you move here. Not to do so would be a “failure to register” and a felony. I know you don’t want to end up in a Florida prison.
You are currently off the registry in your home state. You have achieved the status that all of the rest of us long for. Don’t willingly give up that status.
You ask if Florida really is the hellscape you have heard about. Frankly, depending on what county you are in, it is! But even though the counties I “reside” in aren’t the worst of the worst, there’s still the constant worry and looking over your shoulder, fearing that some random bad apple cop will come after you. Fear of even driving through one of the worst counties because of what could happen there.
You ask why most of us stay here even though the situation is so bad. My answer – like yours would be if you choose to move here – is because of my family. I have now become a seasonal resident with a summer home in Iowa. I use my Iowa base for summer travel around the US and maintain a travel website aimed at registered travelers. I like Iowa very much. But I have no family there. One day I will be too old to travel and will want the support and comfort of my family in my final days. That’s going to be in Florida whether I like it or not.
My offense was in Florida, I’m on the Florida registry for life and for me there’s nothing can be done about that. The only similarity to your situation is your family ties – which I agree are important. But if Florida would agree to take me off their registry if I would leave and promise to never return, that would seem like a pretty good deal to me.
I get tired of hearing this “One committee member claimed that 100% of registrants will reoffend”.
I am 60 years old. I have not re-offended since the first time 29 (Almost 30) years ago. If someone is going to re-offend, it is most likely soon after an offense when the opportunity arises. If I wanted to re-offend, I would not be waiting 29 years for the right opportunity.
I and many others just made stupid mistakes. Not at all downplaying what I did, but getting tired of people saying ALL of us will eventually re-offend. A dog told to not sneak another hotdog from the package for sure will steal another hot dog, but we are not animals, although we are often treated like animals.
Lastly sick and tired of all the hype and scare tactics to push these bills through, that also affect our families. When we do we get our lives back for something we did decades ago. If we were that much of a threat, why are we not behind bars? Oh, that’s right, we are all just waiting for that opening to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.
Although the bad is not all bad, it is something that still can be worked on.
At this time I would like to address the ugly. Both the committee member that Stated 100% recidivism and the one that wants all offenders to leave the State have handed us ammunition to prove that the intent is punitive.
By declaring that all offenders re-offend this member has shown that the empirical evidence possessed and cited by their own committee is not being considered. That could be used as leverage in court if we ever have to argue against this bill and the mindset behind it. Unfortunately in Hernando County a registered offender was just arrested for another sex offense. This could not have occurred at a worse time to dissuade the belief in high recidivism.
The worst of the Ugly that you pointed out is actually the best ammunition we could ask for in Court to prove the punitive nature of the Bill. It doesn’t matter what language is written in to the Bill stating that it is not punitive when a committee member comes out on the open floor and expresses their desire for all offenders to leave the State. That is the same as admitting his intent with the new restrictions.
Now on to the good, We have a bit of hope in the fact that the one size fits all mold is starting to show cracks. We must leverage those cracks and exploit them. First and foremost a tiered system and a removal process needs to be pushed. It might just be the way to get more of the “punisher’s” to speak on open mic that they are using the registry to exile us. If we can build enough examples of the legislators stating a purpose other than public safety we can show a Court proof that the intent of the statutes violate the Ex post Facto clause as well as the Double Jeopardy and due process clauses of the Constitution.
James
Sadly, even if ONE person re-offends, we all pay for it. Every incident like the Adam Walsh act and others have a cause and effect on every single registered person. Someone may have looked at porn and another person raped someone, but we go on the same registry with no stipulation of threat from that person.
We are just a scary face on a website where no one wants to live by us. Where I live, at least 12 families have moved out over the years because I wouldn’t move. Wow, what power I must possess. Next, I will be able to manipulate the stock market, save the whales and cure cancer all in one week.
Jack,
I mentioned the re-offender so that all of you would be aware when the situation arises of recidivism rates. I know we all pay the price when someone re-offends.
It will make my life a bit worse for short term and will cause some issues with people and the scare tactics but I will pull through. I’m just hoping that the rhetoric used and the comments made on the committee floor can be used as leverage to shut this farce down.
Great Piece FAC- Thank you to all who fight with emails, phone calls, attendance at the hearings. Near the end of your perfectly titled and written pieces is this, “Maybe these lawmakers might consider sponsoring a bill to tier the Florida registry or provide for individualized assessments prior to imposing restrictions?”
I plan to Email Representative Skidmore, who addressed this very point. Perhaps, even when things go our way in July, next session her and Representative Gotlieb can sponsor a bill to enact a tiered system based on risk assessment.
Thank you again for all you do.