FAC Weekly Update 2026-06-09-FAC Needs Your Help
Weekly update for June 9, 2026. This is recording number 375
Dear Members and Advocates,
For those of you who joined our monthly member call last Thursday, you learned more about our forthcoming legal challenge to Florida’s sex offender registry. This is a lawsuit that we sincerely believe has the potential to bring meaningful relief to registrants throughout the state and potentially nationwide. Registry issues that have affected our community for far too long and we’re doing something about it!
As many of you know, asking for money is not something that comes easily to us. Frankly, it’s uncomfortable. We would much rather spend our time advocating, educating, litigating, and supporting our members than pleading for donations. But the reality is that FAC is a nonprofit organization, and legal challenges of this magnitude simply cannot move forward without financial support.
The lawsuit we are preparing is not for the benefit of one individual. It is being brought on behalf of the entire registrant community in Florida. The issues at stake affect tens of thousands of people and families. At the same time, the costs associated with mounting a serious legal challenge are substantial. Six-figures substantial! No single person among us could reasonably be expected to shoulder that burden alone. That is why we are counting on the collective support of the community that stands to benefit from this effort. With unity comes change and with this weekly update we are calling on all of us to come together.
If everyone who will ultimately benefit from this challenge contributes what they can, together we can make this lawsuit successful. Whether your contribution is large or small, it sends a powerful message that our community is invested in fighting for meaningful change.
In recent weeks, we have also been reaching out to members whose recurring donations need to be updated in our system. Unfortunately, the response has been disappointing. Recurring donations provide the stable foundation that allows us to plan, budget, and commit to long-term advocacy and litigation efforts. If you have received an email from us regarding your recurring payment information and have not yet responded, please take a moment to do so. You can also contact Teresa at [email protected] to ensure the payment information we have on file is accurate and up to date.
However, if you wish to make a tax-deductible donation or a donation directly from a trust, DAF, or other 501c3-required fund, contact [email protected] or leave message at 833-273-7325 Option 1 to receive instructions for tax-deductible donations.
We also recognize that not everyone is in a position to make a significant financial contribution, but still want to help advance this lawsuit in any way possible. There are many ways to help. If you have experience with fundraising, know potential donors, belong to organizations that may be willing to support our work, have participants in group who are not aware of FAC, or simply want to volunteer your time to help us raise funds for this challenge, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Teresa and let us know how you can assist.
For more than a decade, FAC has fought for fairness, truth, and constitutional protections on behalf of you and your family. Our volunteers keep you updated on the laws, organize support groups, meet with your lawmakers, show up to legislative meetings, dispel public misconceptions online and offline, support research and litigation, provide resources and referrals, and advocate tirelessly to end this unconstitutional and irrational nightmare. This upcoming challenge represents one of the most important efforts we have ever undertaken. Success will require all of us working together.
If you have not yet donated to our legal fund, please consider making a contribution today. Click here and select ‘General Legal Fund’. If you are already a donor, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! If you can increase your recurring support, now would be an excellent time to do so. And if you can help us raise funds, we invite you to join us in that effort.
Together, we can make this challenge possible.
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
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have my own cell phone plan with just my number, and I make sure to report it as required. I also use a Google/Gmail account, which is the one I provide to the registration office because it’s the only account I consistently have access to, aside from my Xbox.
For my children, I ensure that their mothers have their own separate accounts, and I do not have access to them. Even though I pay for the accounts, they are registered under each child’s mother’s name. There are three mothers involved in total. Parental controls are handled entirely through them, and those accounts are not linked to my email or under my control in any way.
It feels frustrating to have to manage things this way just to meet registration requirements and avoid any mistakes, especially around accidentally linking an email or account. But the safest I personally have found to live and trust me just got all my stuff looked into being probation just ended
Wow they are really just trying to find anything now gambling accounts. I do not do online gambling but is this truely meant as a communication platform or way to make money. Wouldn’t everyone on this be about 18 anyways ?
https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/news/2026/june/months-long-investigative-efforts-result-in-arrests-of-5-sexual-offenders
I don’t think those were gambling accounts. More likely interactive gaming. Perhaps Roblox. Gambling is not covered by the registration law.
Did you all know that Microsoft automatically gives you an Xbox gamer tag even if you don’t even have an Xbox when I saw that I reported it immediately and the cancelled my Microsoft account forthwith. It is 30 days for Microsoft to cxl your account so leaving it up until such dates.
Is something wrong with being assigned an Xbox gamer tag?
Mine is registered for i play Xbox and they tried that on probation the FDLE lol but gamertag assigned. If they give you one you can chat it opens that feature up
But the law does not require registration of an identifier with which you can chat. You would have had to actually chat before triggering registration.
I play online sometimes with headset. But I have heard even without chat some have need arrested to argue that later with the DA
No but if you didnt know about it. They could snag you I would think. IDK maybe not. I have not played xbox in over 5 years.
When I got my new Microsoft account I saw it and I didnt know they automatically did that I reported my old one but deleted once i no longer played.
So know I deleted this account as that was not ok with me. I never used the Tag but still. That is not right. That is why i dont have a google email is because they then sign you up for all this random stuff
I didn’t think I violated anything by telling a story thats currently happening. I mean no names used?
We want to be sure that we are not broadcasting any information that might be subject to attorney-client privilege. That could be a disservice to the person involved.
Do understand but we are trying to help show people the new risk and what they are trying to do by going back now prior to convictions to get arrest or added charges. These are true realities and it was edited to make sure nothing was disclosed that would hurt anyone really. How are we going to advocate with silencing sorry no counties pr names used very hard to identify this person or case too
Thank you very much. What makes this situation especially frightening is that it is not some hypothetical scenario—it is something a person is currently experiencing in real life.
To make matters worse, he is now being required to turn over all of his electronic devices so they can be examined for any prohibited content. He believes the search will show that no illegal activity occurred, but the process itself is stressful because every aspect of his digital life is being scrutinized.
There is also concern that if authorities were to classify him as violent or a future danger to society, they could pursue civil commitment proceedings under the Jimmy Ryce Act. From his perspective, it feels like being punished again long after he has already served his sentence.
The anxiety does not stop there. If investigators reviewing his devices were to discover something as simple as an identifier, account, or other registration-related information that was unintentionally omitted, he worries it could result in yet another criminal charge. Whether those concerns ultimately prove justified or not, the possibility alone has created enormous stress and uncertainty.
Looking back, I told him that in 2019 he may have been better off accepting the option presented by authorities and addressing everything through Michigan at that time. Instead, he chose to move to Florida because he had family, employment opportunities, and a support system waiting for him. He also admits that he did not fully understand the extent of Florida’s registration requirements and was unfamiliar with how much they differed from Michigan’s laws.
According to him, Michigan registered him upon his release, and when he left the state he believed he had already satisfied his registration obligations. He says no one clearly explained that he would be required to register again in every jurisdiction where he established residency. After being told he had approximately 24 hours to leave Michigan as part of his release arrangements, he said goodbye to the grandparents who had raised him and relocated to Florida to live with his aunt.
For nearly two years, life appeared normal. Then one day a U.S. Marshal arrived at the address. In an instant, everything changed. What he thought was a misunderstanding about registration requirements became a serious criminal matter that would eventually lead to prosecution, probation, and years of ongoing consequences that he is still dealing with today.
I have a friend who is required to register as a sex offender in Florida. When he moved from Michigan to Florida in 2019, he failed to register as required. The case continued for several years, and in 2023 he accepted a plea deal for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He received five years of probation, fines, and other conditions, but fortunately was not placed on GPS monitoring because his underlying offense occurred before some of the newer Florida laws took effect.
Since then, he has worked hard to comply with every condition of probation. He paid his fines, maintained employment, avoided violations, and completed everything his probation officer required. Based on Florida’s early termination procedures, he applied for early termination of probation after completing approximately half of his sentence and meeting all required conditions.
His probation officer submitted the request in March. Because the case originated in the Miami area, we were told that the judge and prosecutor would need to review the request before making a decision. We expected that process to take some time.
Recently, however, we learned that prosecutors may be considering additional charges related to alleged failures to report internet access, internet providers, computers, or cell phones before his 2019 arrest. According to what we have been told, they are looking at conduct that would have occurred before his original failure-to-register case was resolved.
This raises several questions. If these facts were known or discoverable during the original investigation, can prosecutors seek additional charges years later after a plea agreement has already been reached? How does this differ from protections against double jeopardy? My understanding is that double jeopardy generally prevents someone from being prosecuted twice for the same offense, but I am unsure how that applies when prosecutors claim the new allegations involve separate reporting violations.
Another concern is that officials are reportedly arguing that the alleged reporting failures demonstrate that he may pose a risk to the community, despite having complied with probation and avoiding violations since his plea agreement. They are also discussing continued treatment requirements after probation, which raises questions about how long supervision and treatment obligations can continue.
His current attorney is trying to address these issues, but the lawyer’s primary experience is not in sex-offense registration law. Because of that, we are trying to better understand Florida law regarding registration requirements, additional charges based on older conduct, probation termination, and post-probation treatment requirements.
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation in Florida? Are there attorneys or legal organizations that specialize in sex-offender registration law and probation issues who might be able to provide guidance? We are mainly trying to understand whether pursuing additional charges years later is legally permissible and what options may be available to challenge those actions.
For a list of qualified attorneys, please see our attorney referral page under RESOURCES > Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Florida Action Committee is not a law firm. We are not attorneys and the information provided on this website is not to be construed as legal advice. The posts and comments are the opinions of the respective authors and should not be relied upon without seeking proper legal guidance from a licensed professional.
When I visited someone at Hernando County Jail through a video visitation system, I later discovered that jail staff informed the inmate that I am a registered sex offender. I understand the facility conducts identification and background checks as part of its normal procedures, but disclosing my status to the inmate seems unnecessarily intrusive and unrelated to security concerns.
I have also been told that, in some cases, inmates may be required to sign a waiver before being allowed to receive phone calls or visits from registered sex offenders. If this occurred in my situation, I was never informed beforehand. Friends of mine and a family member have reported experiencing similar treatment when attempting to communicate with inmates.
The jail currently provides inmates with three free seven-minute video visits per month, which must be attended in person at a visitation trailer outside the correctional facility. However, I have heard that registered sex offenders may be restricted or barred from participating in these visits, even when they have successfully passed the required background checks.
My concern is whether the jail’s practice of disclosing a visitor’s status as a registered sex offender to inmates, and potentially requiring special waivers or imposing additional restrictions, is lawful, necessary, and consistent with privacy protections. Anyone else go through this I’ve seen this with family over different counties