TAMPA — The presence of about 140 sexual offenders and predators in a one mile radius around V.M. Ybor has long been a worry for parents in the eclectic, mixed-income neighborhood.
Drawing many of the offenders are cheap rooming houses on Nebraska Avenue where tenants sleep in bunk beds in shared rooms. Some properties have upward of 30 bunks and are far enough away from schools and day care centers for offenders to comply with laws that restrict where they live.
Parents in the neighborhood say the rooming houses violate a countywide ban on offenders living together and they want Tampa police to start enforcing the law.
That won’t start any time soon.
Tampa Police Department officials told City Council members Thursday they have no intention of enforcing a ban they say may be unconstitutional and would make it tougher to track the whereabouts of offenders.
Several laws restricting where sex offenders live have been overturned in the courts, Detective John Guzina told council members. Research also shows there is no evidence that offenders living together creates greater danger for a community, he said.
“Based on the totality of research and our legal concerns, we are going to maintain the status quo with our enforcement of sex offenders,” Guzina said.
This is good news; thumbs up to Tampa. According to Seminole County Felony Registration, Seminole County is not enforcing the “drive within 1000 feet” rule in most places if we are moving through and not loitering. For instance, 17-92 from Maitland to SR 434 is considered a “nature trail”. Therefore, according to the law, we cannot eat at any restaurants or shop at any of the stores within 1000 feet of 17-92. The county lawyers has suggested that the county not enforce it. However, when the next group of lawyers come in, they might decide to start enforcing it, which is why we need to get the laws changed.
Thanks FAC for all you do!
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It will not surprise any of you from this area that professional “musical chair” politician and all-around d-bag Victor Crist found his latest well paying public job on the Hillsborough County Commission. He was the prime mover behind a number of the more recent very draconian registrant restriction laws in Florida. Fortunately, the City of Tampa still acts semi-reasonably in these matters like the county used to before he showed up.
Wow. Huge applaud to Detective John Guzina for citing empirical evidence and real data. A true role model for law enforcement.
Unfortunately, law enforcement take an oath to uphold every single law indiscriminately, and therein we have a huge problem. Many laws are unjust, so law enforcement are stuck enforcing injustices despite any desire to do good by public and even their own moral values. It’s a great win for society when law enforcement and juries stand up and reject unjust legislation. I believe it is a human duty that many don’t realize we have the right to employ.
Well….wadda ya know? I am surprised….