Rep. Plakon bill seeks to tighten residency, employment for sex offenders
A newly filed bill in the Florida House would strengthen state laws governing where registered sexual offenders and predators can live, work and recreate.
HB 45 revises residency restrictions and updates supervision rules for sexual offenders and predators. Expands the definition of “public swimming pool” and “public pool” to include splash pads, spray pools, wading pools, and other water recreation areas used by the public, including those operated by schools, parks, child care centers, group homes, and residential communities. Requires state agencies and local governments to search the sexual offender and predator registry before hiring or appointing an individual. Adjusts residential restrictions for offenders living near schools, parks and other protected areas.
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Soooo, what happened for this to become a necessity? Or is this just ANOTHER ‘what if’ scenario that popped up in someone brain who has nothing better to do?
Again, INALIENABLE RIGHTS! Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Only allowed to be removed by ‘Due Process’. So, unless they drag every one of us into court and gives us a chance to be heard, there’s no ‘Due Process’.
Dear Representative Rachel Plakon,
Your bill, HB 45, to strengthen state laws governing where registered sexual offenders can live, work, and recreate is harmful to the citizens and the community, because beyond the dehumanization, it creates greater difficulty for reentry back into society, and it creates living circumstances that increase lawlessness for pure survival.
It just seems to me that the legislature in Florida seems uninformed with this tirade of bills making draconian laws more draconian. Where is the common sense? Where is the push-back from level headed men and women, the public, the media? Are “boogyman” prejudices so thick that common sense minded people cannot show wisdom in their effort? How is it justified that a traveler cannot rent a hotel room that includes a swimming pool or that they may not be employed in the mainstream workforce. Do Floridians imagine these inhuman beings are lurking around every corner to commit sex crimes, because they are not. Most are just trying to survive.
Can we not consider our Constitution and governance where we pledge that citizens shall not be deprived of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness, expanded to include equality and dignity? And then relook at collateral restrictions after punishment that interfere with reentry back into society, punishment after punishment. The registry as excessive punishment violates due process prohibited by the Eighth, Fifth, and Fourteen Amendments, and double jeopardy is prohibited by the Fifth Amendment. Then examine even marginally, academia to see the ample evidence that sex offenders who have been punished and released have the lowest recidivism of all offenders except murders; that distances from schools, parks, or other areas children gather have no bearing on recidivism; that signs and public shaming or public websites only serve to push former offenders further into isolation and tend to create homelessness, joblessness, and increase criminality.
The management of sex offenders is an abomination in America, worse in Florida. The registry is overpopulated from minor offenders to violent ones, all managed as one huge ever-growing list. It includes on one end, those sexting, nudity on beaches or in the woods, urination in the woods or construction sites, streaking, prostitution, possession of illegal images, underage teen consensual petting and sex, and at the other extreme, violent rapists, sexual kidnappers, and sexual assault. The registry needs cleansing to include only the latter at best. Once on that registry, a former offender’s life and that of his family are ruined for the rest of their lives. It becomes near impossible to find employment equal to his or her experience or education; transnational and intranational travel becomes fraught with complexities that make that travel difficult or impossible. I sold my time share in Deerfield Beach, and no longer visit Pensacola or relatives living near Daytona Beach as I have done for the last 39 years.
Politicians have no clue what degradation they are enforcing on their fellow Americans. Most are not “scum bags,” but fathers, sons, brothers, grandfathers, and veterans. This is a crime that needs an end game; non-violent offenders do not warrant a life-time penance; and castration or capital punishment is ridiculous. Politicians seem to have free time to stack more punishment upon punishment to further erode the lives of these people merely trying to regain their footing in life. They seem to do this not for justice, but to appear tough on crime. The assumption is that all are pedophiles, all cannot change their condition, and all do not deserve a life after their misstep. Law enforcement maintains records of violators for life, so public registries serve no purpose. Public disclosure of low-level, non-violent offenders only feed vigilantism. One might make a parallel to negroes in the 1940s who were pushed to the back of the bus or to separate restrooms and water fountains because some in our society labeled these boogymen as marginalized, mentally deficient, or simply feared. We are building an entire subculture of mismanagement that is restricting these Americans to lives we shame, denounce, and violate with judicial and physical dehumanization and isolation.
I urge you to reconsider your position on this bill. Let us legislate with reason, not fear. With justice, not vengeance. And with the courage to see every citizen as worthy of dignity, redemption, and a second chance.
Respectfully,
@Bo
Very well-articulated. Godspeed.
Bravo! Well said.
I agree what does this bill do.
1. We already have a 1000 foot rule.
2. Companies already do back ground checks on all employees
3. The scary part is the Pool issue. So if your gym has a pool you got to find another gym? If you go on vacation you cant stay at a lodging place that has a pool?
That is insane and I would hope would never pass, but we do live in Florida. There are only a few more straws that would break this camel’s back.
Well, this state representative just gave me a new person to help remove from office.
Well been broken the straw I’m moving where freedom can happen for us
I have said this before and I will say it again. Every single session that are going to push the envelope on registered persons, to the point where we are basically on probation. We already have to check in at the sheriff’s department to re-register several times a year, and more if you have changes. How is that not probation?
It will get to a point that we won’t be able to leave the house without filling out a weekly schedule, like going to work, going to store etc. And hey, let’s throw in ankle monitors. There was one state (not sure it passed) that was trying to get predators to wear an ankle monitor even if not on probation.
Have we become a third world country? And where is the human rights campaign, and other organizations around the U.S and the World fighting for our cause? Lastly, did you see the article today that Trump may pardon Diddy? Where is our pardons, when we have served our time, and he has not, (Other than some jail time) Why is he special?
There’s registrants in Wisconsin that have lifetime ankle monitors even after probation.
Registry life is probation. The only difference is that the supervision is done by the sheriff’s department instead of the probation office.
Bill text makes numerous references to definitions (2) and (4) in the following statute:
https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0500-0599/0514/Sections/0514.011.html
I’m scared for the grants coming federally to help monitor us like the president signed in executive order they may require things like gps monitors
Can we organize an email campaign opposing this proposal?