FAC Weekly Update 2026-07-21-At Risk of Being Falsely Accused
Weekly update for July 21, 2026. This is recording number 382
Dear Members and Advocates,
Imagine waking up one morning to find law enforcement outside your home. Neighbors are watching. Your family is confused. You are placed in handcuffs and taken away for a crime you did not commit.
That is exactly what happened to Robert, a Florida man who spent decades working as a commercial crabber near Fort Myers. He had never even been to Jacksonville Beach, hundreds of miles away from his home. Yet, in 2024, a surveillance image, facial recognition technology, and a supposed 93% confidence score led police to arrest him for a crime in Jacksonville he had nothing to do with. Investigators had evidence that his truck had never left his home area. The technology was wrong. The arrest was wrong. The charges were eventually dropped. But the damage was already done. Robert had to borrow money and put up his truck title to make bond. His mugshot entered public databases. His reputation was damaged. The system that was supposed to protect innocent people instead placed the burden on him to prove he was not the person the machine claimed he was.
This is the problem with a justice system that increasingly treats registry lists, database matches, and assumptions as shortcuts around actual investigation. And for those required to register on a sex offender registry, the risks are even greater. Registrants are already in the system. Your photograph, identifying information, and history already exist in government databases accessible to law enforcement. You are considered a suspect before any crime is even committed, so when something happens, you become the primary suspect. As more agencies use online stings, facial recognition, license plate readers, artificial intelligence, and interconnected databases, registrants are uniquely vulnerable.
In another Florida case, an innocent person’s photos were taken from social media and used by another individual to create a false online identity. That false identity became involved in an undercover sex sting investigation. Investigators followed the digital trail to the person whose photos had been stolen rather than the person who was actually responsible. The innocent person was arrested, forced to post bond, hired an attorney, and spent months trying to prove he was not the person behind the account. This should concern everyone, not just people on the registry. Every person has photographs online. Every person can become the subject of a database error, mistaken identity, or faulty assumption. Artificial Intelligence, license plate readers and facial recognition technology are powerful tools, but they can’t be a substitute for actual police investigation. Otherwise, more ordinary people will become victims of a system that moves faster than the facts.
So what needs to change? First, law enforcement agencies need to be accountable for mistakes made when they rely on AI tools. They can’t just throw up their hands and say “oops, I guess the computer got it wrong”. If they are held financially responsible for the harms caused by a false arrest, they will verify. This is especially important now that private citizens are conducting online sex offender stings. Also, technology should assist investigations, not replace them. It’s what the principle of “presumed innocent” is all about. If someone comes up on a registry, facial recognition software or a license plate is incorrectly scanned someplace, consider it a tip, not a conclusion. Get copies of the digital records, do some independent research, assume it could be a mistake and put the burden of proof on the technology before disrupting a person’s life.
With the recent amendment to the Florida “loitering” statute and recent efforts across the state to catch and lock up as many people on the registry as possible, we should all be very concerned. Cameras are all over the place. License plate readers are everywhere. Police are relying on this imperfect technology rampantly. You don’t even have to leave your house anymore to have your face allegedly recognized or your license plate allegedly read inside an exclusion zone. Then it’ll be up to you to prove it was a mistake, months can pass, thousands wasted on attorneys fees, and your life in turmoil.
It’s one of the reasons why FAC constantly reminds our members that technology can be used for our protection as well as for government surveillance of us. We highly recommend vehicle dash cams, doorbell cameras, and security cameras throughout your homes. You should turn on location history features on personal devices such as your phone. Make cloud backups of important information. Keep copies of important text messages, emails, online communications and certainly every piece of registration paperwork and screenshots of everything submitted to the FDLE cyber communications portal. If you punch a clock for work, keep records of your work logs or timesheets. If you go someplace out of the ordinary, keep receipts and transaction records. This may seem paranoid and a bit much, but read this post and you’ll understand why you need to be proactive. With one in 5 people on the registry arrested last month in Osceola, we all need to be paranoid!
Knowing these crackdowns are taking place, there are other things you must keep in mind. If you are question by law enforcement (other than if you are on supervision and your PO is questioning you) you do not have to consent to a search of your home or property (including your cellphone). You do not have to answer questions without legal advice. You have the right to consult an attorney, and you have the right to remain silent until you do. And that’s something you should absolutely do! Even if you’re totally innocent, you should not assume that explaining everything immediately will resolve the situation. Statements made during stressful encounters can sometimes be misunderstood and by saying anything or voluntarily handing over your phone thinking you have nothing to hide, you are inviting law enforcement to “find something” during their fishing expedition.
We are not sharing these situations to create fear or to suggest that every registrant is at imminent risk of being falsely accused. The purpose is to encourage awareness and vigilance in an environment where technology, databases, and public information can be misused. A false accusation can happen to anyone, but registrants face additional challenges because assumptions already exist. By taking reasonable precautions and understanding your rights, you can better protect yourself. FAC is doing all we can from an advocacy and legal perspective to fight for your rights, but it’s up to you to know them. Be careful out there!
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
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When you contact your registration office to ask a question, you risk arrest:
https://fox49.tv/news/local/leon-county-sheriff-arrests-registered-sex-offender-on-warrant-for-failing-to-report-info
I think it’s best to ask them as little as possible, and instead just read the statute.
I Have reached out to Reason Foundation specifically,
Dear Ms. Hanna Liebman Dershowitz,
I recently saw your comments on FOX 13 Tampa Bay regarding Florida’s new laws, including HB 45 and SB 212. I appreciate your interest in researching how these laws are affecting people throughout the state, and I wanted to reach out personally to offer my perspective.
These laws have affected me directly. As a registered sex offender, I now face consequences that extend beyond issues such as homelessness. One of the most significant impacts is that I am unable to receive treatment through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs without risking criminal consequences under these new restrictions. In my experience, these laws create barriers that reach into healthcare, rehabilitation, and daily life in ways that are often overlooked in public discussions.
There is much more to Florida’s sex offender laws than what is often reported. Many of these laws continue to affect me and my family every day as we are simply trying to live our lives, remain law-abiding, and move forward. The challenges extend into housing, healthcare, family life, and other aspects that deserve greater public understanding.
If you are interested, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you and share my experiences in more detail. I believe my perspective may provide additional insight into the broader effects of these laws and could be helpful to your research.
Also asked if they could check out FAC website provided your mission statement
I’ve been following the Florida Action Committee (FAC) since 2018 as a veteran who is also required to register. Over the years, I have watched FAC become one of the few organizations willing to address the difficult and often overlooked issues that directly affect veterans on the registry.
For those who do not know Mike, our “Wild Man,” he is an Air Force Vietnam veteran who spent his career answering the call to serve. During his military career, he was invited to attend the Army’s OSR program—and he was crazy enough to accept the challenge. That example says a lot about who Mike is: someone willing to step into difficult situations, take on challenges, and stand up when others might walk away.
Mike demonstrates the qualities of a true American hero and patriot. Like many veterans, he believes in defending our constitutional rights, but he also understands the unique challenges faced by veterans who are forced to register alongside the broader PFR population.
Those challenges are often overlooked. They include issues such as denial of access to military installations, questions about eligibility for military burial benefits for retired or qualified veterans, difficulty connecting with veterans’ advocacy organizations that may not understand our specific hardships, and questions about how registry requirements affect veterans’ benefits and services.
What separates Mike from many others is that if he does not know the answer, he does not simply dismiss the question. He researches, investigates, and fights to find the correct answer—or at least the right path toward finding one. He has used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), along with FAC’s knowledge and experience, to help uncover information that directly impacts veterans on the registry.
One issue Mike and I are currently working on involves the implementation of provisions within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. We are seeking to determine whether the Department of Defense has implemented requirements involving notification of registered sex offenders within military communities, as well as other registry-related policies that may affect veterans. These are important questions because veterans on the registry face unique circumstances that are not always addressed by general registry policies.
These are exactly the types of veteran-specific questions that deserve attention and answers. Veterans who served our country should not be left without guidance when facing complicated issues involving military access, benefits, advocacy, and constitutional rights.
The Florida Action Committee continues to provide a place for these conversations. FAC hosts a **virtual Veterans Support Group on Thursday, August 27, from 8:00 to 9:30 PM** for registered veterans, family members, and public supporters. Details for attending can be found in the **Calendar section of the FAC website**.
I believe a veteran-focused conference or calendar addressing registry-related issues affecting veterans would be an invaluable resource. FAC’s willingness to research, advocate, and seek answers through education, communication, and tools such as FOIA is why I continue to support their efforts.
For additional background on the Department of Defense and questions surrounding military sex offender notification requirements, see:
https://prospect.org/2025/08/20/2025-08-20-hegseth-defense-department-public-military-sex-offender-registry/
FLORIDA not the standard for sex offense laws!
Many people in Florida assume that every state treats people on the registry the same way. That simply is not true. Florida is not the national standard. Many states, including Colorado, follow a tier-based system that is much closer to the federal guidelines.
For example, in Colorado, Tier 1 and many Tier 2 registrants generally do not appear on the public neighborhood maps that people in Florida are familiar with. The public registry requires someone to specifically search for a person’s name, and it does not publicly display residential addresses the way Florida does.
That difference has real-world consequences. Background checks can be less stigmatizing, employment opportunities can be better, housing is often easier to obtain, and you are generally treated more like a member of society than someone who is permanently marked for public shaming.
Colorado’s compliance model is also very different. As a Tier 1 registrant, I only had one annual in-person verification. There was no rigid deadline measured in days. During one year, I was camping with my family for nearly a month when my assigned officer attempted the home verification. He called me, I explained where I was, and he simply said, “That sounds fun. When you get back, give me a call and I’ll come out and complete your annual check.”
Coming from Florida, I asked what would happen if someone missed their annual verification because of something like a hospital stay. His response was straightforward: call the office or call him. They would document the circumstances, complete the necessary report, and work with the individual to satisfy the requirement. Officer discretion is part of the process because the goal is compliance, not creating unnecessary felony arrests.
That experience showed me a completely different philosophy of policing. Colorado’s registry system is not perfect, but it is much closer to the federal tier model than Florida’s system. The focus is on helping people comply with the law instead of looking for technical violations that can result in new felony charges.
I still keep in touch with the detective assigned to my area in Colorado. He’s a great officer who understands the difference between someone intentionally committing a crime and someone who is making a good-faith effort to comply. That kind of professional discretion makes a tremendous difference.
The point is not that Colorado is perfect. The point is that Florida is not the standard for the rest of the country. Many states have adopted a very different approach, and people living in Florida should not assume they will be treated the same way everywhere else.
Derek L., if you see this, could you share how Nebraska handles its registry? I think it would help people understand that registry laws vary significantly from state to state, and that Florida’s approach is not the model followed nationwide.
Well, we don’t pay registry fees, we don’t have to turn in Internet identifiers, and we don’t have statewide residency restrictions. Although municipalities are allowed to pass local-level laws (only municipalities, not counties), they are limited to 500 feet from schools and daycares ONLY.
We aren’t as bad as FloriDUH. Not too many places are. That coul always change, but we have Nebraskans Unafraid to challenge any attempts at passing bad legislation. It is not as big as FAC but they’re pretty tight-knit.
FloriDUH, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Oklahoma are easily worst five. HOWEVER, local-level laws can make some places WORSE than any place even these five states.
My wife has memory issues. She is very healthy; and she loves to walk. She always leaves our home and our yard without telling me. There is a tag attached to one of her shoes, but if I am not ever vigilant, she will quickly be out of range. Furthermore, she finds her way home on almost all occasions. I know I should be terrified that some sex offender will grab her or she’ll walk headlong into an alligator pond, but I am not. (Sarcasm intended) I know bad things can happen.
One of the bad things that happened in my life was to have my daughter convicted of child abduction in 1999 and not discover that she was wrongfully convicted until 2021 (22 years later). When my sister and I started reviewing the court record, we found defense counsel–quickly turned state actor–brought home a victory for the state by an involuntary plea at the defective plea hearing. Black’s Law Dictionary calls such staged bench trials, “Kangaroo courts.” (See Wisconsin appellate court case 2024AP2239.) My daughter filed for review by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on March 2, 2026. Still waiting.
Anyway, my wife was observed walking behind somebody’s house. Out of concern for her, the person called 911. Because similar incidents have occurred, the police contacted me and brought my wife home. The next day, one of my neighbors told me that the incident was posted on an app. I signed into the app to in order to thank the person for the concern shown by calling 911. With the help of another one of my daughters, we composed in informational “Thank you!” However, I was unable to log back into the app to thank the community response.
I reached out to the application administrator and reported that I was unable to access the app to offer thanks. A few days later I received a response from the administrator: “I apologize for the difficulty you experienced signing up. The problem is that your address was listed in the Florida Offender Registry as the address of a registered sex offender. This caused our system to automatically block you from joining [the app]. The good news is that I rechecked the Florida Offender Registry and your address is no longer flagged. I’ve lifted the restriction, so you should be able to log in with no issues now.”
My response in kind: “Knowing that you are marginalizing citizens convicted of sex offenses, I am no longer interested in [the app]. Through the police report, I found the ‘good Samaritan’ who made the 911 call on my wife’s behalf and personally thanked her for her concern. Citizens convicted of sex offenses need community engagement. Sex offender registries are exclusionary devices used to ruin lives, families, and communities. If such hypocritical schemes are allowed to persist, they will destroy this country.