New Sex Offender Bill in Florida
Just as we announced there was nothing too offensive in legislature, comes HB 1179 (which was filed yesterday). Among other things, this bill proposes to charge registrants a fee to register!
The relevant language of the bill follows:
(2) The sheriff of each county may charge criminal registration fees for sexual predators, sexual offenders, career offenders, and convicted felons for the initial registration, reregistration, and registration updates with that sheriff. Annual fees during a registration year, excluding the initial registration fee of a nonresident of this state, may not exceed $200 per sexual predator, $100 per sexual offender, $50 per career offender, or $25 per felony offender.
(9) Failure to pay a fee as required this section, unless waived under subsection (6), is a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Visitors to Florida would have to pay $300!
The bill also imposes mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders and standard conditions of sex offender probation, which are equally important, but since the “fee” is a penalty imposed on all registrants, even those who are no longer on probation, you can be assured that FAC will be challenging it if passed.
In the mean time, please contact your State representative to oppose this bill.
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Why does the FDLE deliberately pad the registry with an estimated 40% of registrants who are NOT in Florida? Hmmmm Could it be related to the fact that the more ‘registrants’ Florida ‘claims’, the more federal funds received? Florida ireceives more tax payer dollars for its grossly inaccurate registry than 49 other states. A registrant who vacations in florida and leaves within a week, is left on the registry forever. Shame on the FDLE and the Florida legislature for allowing this stealing of tax dollars by listing registrants it knows are NOT in Florida! Where are the tax watch advocates??!!
What happens if the person has mental health issues and is on SSI and is on a fixed income and can’t afford it?
if they are indigent they can apply for exemption
Like so many human and civil rights movements in the past – until public opinion changes towards the registry (little by little it seems to) we will not get widespread change.
Education is the key…..
How must we fight this? “Taxation without representation”. I believe that everyone know this. Are they working on the next tea party? I’m in!!!
Nelson: I’ve had this same thought. I still pay taxes on my residential property that I am banished from due to residency restrictions. Not to mention that I lost the right to vote. If I cannot vote and cannot live in the house I bought then why am I required to pay taxes on these things?
This is absolutely ridiculous! They say that this registration crap is not a life sentence… Well, with just the idea of this Bill, passed or not, It most certainly is a LIFE sentence. Mandatory, law enforced registration/re-registration requirements twice a year for SO, 4x per year for S.P. and then adding a cost to it with criminal punishment for failure to pay is for all sakes and purposes a “lifelong punishment” aka Life Sentence. Imprisonment for lack of monetary capability is something from the dark ages known as Debtor’s Prison, which was supposed to have been done away with by the establishment of guaranteed basic human rights… What is this world coming to?
4 times a year for some Sex offenders as well. I only had to register once per year then twice a year and now they have me on 4 times a year on charges from 28 years ago
the international megans law is another way of keeping rso”s in america so they can control us and keep us in a certain area to milk us of every dollar and ounce of dignity we have. where are the lawyers that swore to uphold the law against lists and fines for american citizens who have paid their debt to society? rso’s should get together and start suing the states that confine them thats the only way they will back off(class action)
This bill if passed should be immediately challenged in court by the ACLU. This would provide fee’s paid only by out of state people which is violation of the equal protection clause. States may not treat out of state people differently or worse than in state. Also Florida by posting all visitors of over 4 days on its website for life already creates what I believe to be a unconstitutional chilling effect on travel, this surely would create that.
Politician’s need to stop making there careers on “who can screw the SO more”