PLEASE COMMENT ON ARTICLE: Putnam County passes one of Florida’s toughest sex offender ordinances after ‘Predator Camp’ outcry
Months after a storm of community outrage over what neighbors called a “predator camp,” Putnam County has enacted one of the strictest sex offender ordinances in the state of Florida.
The controversial park at the center of it all — CCM Park on Balsam Street — once housed more than 22 registered sex offenders living in proximity. The situation sparked public concern, a series of investigative reports, and ultimately, sweeping legislative action.
Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said the situation at CCM Park was the turning point.
“Well, that was certainly the catalyst for the introduction of this ordinance,” Sheriff DeLoach said, “And it’s our hope and desire that this ordinance is an effective tool for us to help eliminate that problem from ever creeping up on us again.”
The ordinance, which was passed on August 26th and is now in effect, increases the residency buffer zone for registered sex offenders and predators. They are now prohibited from living within 2,500 feet of schools, childcare facilities, school bus stops, parks, or playgrounds — more than double the 1,000 feet required by Florida state law.
It also bans offenders from living within 500 feet of one another unless they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
Under the new rules, sex offenders and predators cannot live in multi-family dwellings, manufactured home parks, or condominiums if more than 10 percent of the occupied units are already housing registered sex offenders.
Leota Wilkinson, Chair of the Putnam County Commission, said the new rules send a strong message. “If you’ve offended, then you might not wanna come and live in Putnam County.”
[FAC NOTE: FAC IS ORGANIZING A LAWSUIT AGAINST PUTNAM FOR THIS RETALIATORY ORDINANCE. IF YOU ARE IMPACTED BY IT AND WANT TO BE A PLAINTIFF, PLEASE CONTACT [email protected].]
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More than double than that of state law means it is unconstitutional and unenforceable.
They are setting themselves up for a large tort payout.
I sure hope the county gives out a map of those entities within the exclusion zone who are known so those who are impacted by the exclusion zone know where to avoid…you know, let the PFR know where everyone is at (and freak out those in the zone because their data is now in the hands of those they don’t want to know). You cannot abide by the law if you don’t know where the law extends to and by what means, e.g., a daycare, etc. Someone needs to validate the data used to create the zone, so you have to know what is where…
Not directed at you, TS, but the problem is; nobody stands up to these things. Call Putnam County and ask them; now that they passed this residency restriction and proximity ordinance, where’s the map? Show me where I can go! The contact information for all the commissioners can be found here: https://main.putnam-fl.com/ Spend some time this weekend emailing each one and ask them to show you where you can and can’t live. Where you can and can’t go.
That’s our biggest problem. We announced a meeting last month in Coral Springs where they were considering an amendment to their SORR and nobody showed up to speak other than Ron Book (naturally in favor of the law). He gets up and gives his usual “it’s not if but when” speech and the laws get passed because nobody is there to speak against it. Then horrible and ineffective stuff passes and people contact FAC saying, “you need to sue.” Well if people showed up, this wouldn’t happen. I get that it’s intimidating and embarrassing. Nobody wants to be the poster child for registrants. People are even afraid of getting beaten up outside the commission meetings, but if we’d just show up in droves it’d be pretty hard to attack us in the parking lot or ignore us in the meetings.
We have county and regional coordinators. Find out who your coordinator is and coordinate with them! It takes one person less than 5 minutes a month to check out the agenda for the commission meetings for the coming month. Spare the 5 minutes and if something impacting registered citizens is on the agenda, let your coordinator know or let FAC know. Then get a bunch of people to show up and speak out against it. If they don’t let you show up to the meetings because it’s in an exclusion zone, we’ll arrange a lawsuit like we did in Brevard. It’s as simple as that!
Shame on us for sitting back and doing nothing! If we have 3000 members and we can’t find one person in each of the 67 counties to spare 5 minutes to check agendas or one hour a month to get on a call with everyone else in your county and come up with action plans, we can’t complain when bad stuff happens.
Once again, our favorite song plays by the “Retro-active band players”.
I am waiting for them to retro-active everything on us until the point where we are deported to an iceberg in the ocean.
Does the registry rules allow to keep adding more and more changes without any oversight from a judge or legit law makers?
Statutes can be amended by the legislature each year. Case in point; in Florida, the registration statutes have been amended almost every year since they were enacted.
Laws can be challenged to a court, wherein a Judge will provide oversight. Case in point; we’ve been involved in significant challenges (ex: Internet Identifier case and Harper v. Glass) that resulted in added rules being removed through the judicial process.
Only elected representatives and senators (which are “legit” law makers), pass the bills which are signed into law. “The registry” doesn’t make the rules, lawmakers do. The legislative process (how a bill becomes a law) would be the oversight you are asking about.
Speaking of that, I just now went out to my mailbox and got a letter from the Florida Department of Law enforcement. This is the first one I have gotten in a LONG time. It Talks about the 2025 law updates but I read both front and back and didn’t see anything new, or at least anything that would affect me.
I did not see anyone else mentioning getting one of these. I can take a picture front and back if you want?
@Cherokeejack
I got one as well today, looks about the same as the one from 2024. Must be some county policy to send it so that as a PFR you can’t claim you weren’t aware of the dozens of rules that can stack as felonies against you.
Vito
Thanks for letting me know you got one as well. Now I don’t feel special LOL
I got one yesterday as well
Hi, Think the first thing is sex crimes ether real or imagined (via a dream) is emotionally driven by all. Then add in a corrupt judicial system that does not follow the evidence , but injects their own false narrative to victims, all to WIN the case at all costs. They can’t afford to lose because they look so bad, in the eyes of public opinion. I think this is why so many innocent people are convicted. Factor in the fast it takes thousands and thousands of dollars to defend yourself . I was a Deputy Sherriff for 25 years and I lived by Follow the Evidence to find the TRUTH. I have absolutely NO trust in our judicial system. If they can do what they did to me, They can do it to anyone even YOU. And that fact makes me very afraid of the corrupt judicial system in place to prosecute Sex Crimes……
Dwight, please comment on the original article. The public needs to hear these comments, not our readers. We have a dozen+ comments on this post, but there are only 4 on the original article. If people (not you, but speaking to the membership as a whole) took 2 minutes to post a comment, readers of the news media would know that there’s not universal support for these laws.
We must stand up, yet wisely, smartly. Educated the people show the truth with fact. Know that fear is deep rooted, still truth and opening eyes of thise truths. We have faced these things before and will in the future. Still, truth is the only tool in courts, people, so we can show that people can ive on peace and inderstanding.
FAC — I get my commission check at the end of the month. I do have a wedding to pay for but am willing to donate. Do you have a separate fund starting? I understand the need for public safety, I have raised 3 daughters. However Hysteria does not make us safe. There is not a monster under every bed. Some ex offenders have paid their price, and put it all in the rear view except 2 or 4 times a year or two to four weeks a year if you get anxious about it.
That said ex offender or not we all have three inalienable rights Life, Liberty and Happiness.
Thank you, Tearful, the General Legal fund will be the source for now.
Sounds good. I figure that out on 09/30