UPDATED 2/13/2026 – Call to Action on HB 45 and SB 212
Florida lawmakers are moving forward with SB 212 / HB 45, a sweeping expansion of physical presence and residency restrictions that will destabilize thousands of families, increase homelessness, and undermine public safety.
It is on the Rules Committee agenda to be heard 02/17/26, 12:00 pm. You must take action NOW!
This bill is being framed as “child protection.” In reality, it creates vague, overbroad restrictions that will criminalize everyday life for more than 30,000 Floridians — without evidence that it prevents a single offense.
It is critical that you contact your legislators NOW.
Here’s what SB 212 Does:
Creates a Physical Presence Ban – Registrants with specified offenses involving individuals under 16 would be prohibited from being on the premises or “immediate surroundings”* of:
– Public swimming pools
– Schools
– Playgrounds
– Parks
– Child care centers
* “Immediate surroundings” is not defined.
This ban:
– Applies no matter when the offense occurred (retroactive punishment)
– Authorizes warrantless arrests
– Criminalizes simple presence — not misconduct
Parents, grandparents and legal guardians may go to a child care facility or school with written notification of their offense to the school board, principal, or owner and notification of when they intend to be present at the school/child care facility. Registrants may be on the premises solely to attend a religious service, voting, or conducting official business at a government building.
Two swimming pool exclusions apply:
– Private single-family homes
– Facilities where minors are prohibited
But hotel pools, HOA pools, and many residential community pools are NOT excluded.
ALSO, It creates a NEW 1,000-Foot Residency Ban Around Public Swimming Pools – Beginning July 1, 2026 certain registrants may not live within 1,000 feet of public swimming pools.
Those convicted between October 1, 2004 (or May 26, 2010 for out-of-state offenses) and July 1, 2026 may remain in their current home — but must comply if they ever move.
Individuals on probation, conditional release, or community control may not live within 1,000 feet of:
– Public swimming pools
– Parks
– Playgrounds
– Schools
– Childcare facilities
While some pools are excluded (private homes, adult-only facilities, hotels, motels, RV parks), the practical impact will dramatically shrink available housing.
Your Ammunition in opposing – The State’s Own Data Shows This Will Increase Homelessness
According to the February 12 bill analysis:
– The Florida Department of Corrections says 2,992 supervised individuals could be directly affected.
– 12,985 currently incarcerated individuals would be impacted upon release.
– 334 supervised individuals are already classified as homeless.
– The Department warns homelessness will likely increase.
– Increased restrictions may cause individuals to abscond due to inability to find compliant housing.
When people cannot find housing, supervision becomes harder, stability collapses, risk factors increase.
Even the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida probation officers have identified residency restrictions as a major driver of housing instability.
What you should do immediately:
Contact your legislators at the information below (call or email, BE RESPECTFUL) and tell them to OPPOSE HB 45/SB 212. Remind them that public safety is undermined by these bills. They will be challenged in court which will put the entire residency restriction statute in jeopardy. Most sexual harm is committed by family and friends, not strangers. This will increase homelessness dramatically. Decades of empirical research shows these laws don’t work!
Contact Information
House Leadership
Speaker of the House: Speaker Danny Perez (Miami-Dade), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5000
Next Speaker of the House: Rep. Garrison (Clay), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5011
Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. Wyman Duggan (Duval), [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5012
Majority Leader: Rep. Tyler Sirois (Brevard), [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5031
Minority Leader: Rep. Fentrice Driskell (Hillsborough), [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5067
House Judiciary Committee
Staff Director: [email protected]
Chair Chuck Brannan: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5010
Vice Chair Webster Barnaby: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5029
Republican Party Whip David Borrero: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5111
Democratic Ranking Member Michael Gottlieb: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5102
Rep. Jon Albert: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5048
Rep. Danny Alvarez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5069
Rep. Adam Anderson, [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5057
Rep. Bruce Antone, [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5041
Rep. Jessica Baker: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5017
Rep. Hillary Cassel: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5101
Rep. Kevin Chambliss: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5117
Rep. Dan Daley: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5096
Rep. Tom Fabricio: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5110
Rep. Dotie Joseph: [email protected], [email protected](incorrect,) 850-717-5108
Rep. Traci Koster: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5066
Rep. Johanna Lopez: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5043
Patt Maney: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5004
Rep. Rachel Plakon: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5036
Rep. Juan Carlos Porras: [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5119
Rep. Michelle Salzman: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-717-5001
Rep. Kevin Steele: [email protected], [email protected] 850-717-5055
Senate Leadership
Senate President: Senator Ben Albritton (Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Polk), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5027
Senate President Pro Tempore: Senator Jason Brodeur (Seminole, Orange), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] , 850-487-5010
Senate Majority Leader: Senator Jim Boyd (Hillsborough, Manatee), [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5020
Senate Rules Committee
Chair: Senator Kathleen Passidomo, [email protected], [email protected] , 850-487-5028
Vice Chair: Senator Shevrin Jones, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5034
Senator Bryan Avila, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5039
Senate Minority Leader: Senator Lori Berman, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5006
Senator Jason Brodeur, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] . 850-487-5010
Senator Danny Burgess, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5023
Senator Colleen Burton, [email protected], [email protected] , 850-487-5012
Senator Tracie Davis, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5005
Senator Nick DiCeglie, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5018
Senator Don Gaetz, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5001
Senator IIeana Garcia: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5036
Senator Erin Grall, [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5029
Senator Gayle Harrell, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5031
Senator Ed Hooper, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5021
Senator Jonathan Martin: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 850-487-5033
Senator Rosalind Osgood, , [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5032
Senator Jason Pizzo: [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5037
Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez, [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5040
Senator Darryl Ervin Rouson, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5016
Senator Corey Simon: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5003
Senator Jay Trumbull, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] , 850-487-5002
Senator Tom A. Wright, [email protected], [email protected], 850-487-5008
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When is this to be voted upon?
With this bill, I called everyone I was comfortable calling and asked them to email about this. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do, but I tried to get as much support as possible opposition. In was non Registry people in professional positions so hopefully it helped with some pushback.
Will be sending this email out. Sorry for all my posts today:
Dear Senator,
I am writing to respectfully urge you to vote NO on SB 212. As a member of the Florida Legislature, you have sworn the constitutionally required Oath of Office to “support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida” and to faithfully perform the duties of your office. That oath is not ceremonial—it is a binding constitutional obligation.
Both the U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution contain explicit prohibitions against ex post facto laws. Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution states that no state may pass any ex post facto law. Likewise, Article I, Section 10 of the Florida Constitution contains the same prohibition. These clauses exist to prevent the government from retroactively imposing new punitive burdens on individuals after the fact.
In 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Ellingburg v. United States, which clarified and strengthened the modern standard for determining when a law is punitive for purposes of the Ex Post Facto Clause. The Court held that when a statute imposes coercive, state-enforced obligations tied to a past conviction, courts must evaluate the real-world effects of those obligations—not the labels applied by the legislature. If the effects are punitive, the law cannot be applied retroactively.
SB 212 conflicts directly with this binding precedent. The bill imposes new, mandatory, state-enforced restrictions and obligations on individuals based solely on past convictions, including those whose convictions predate the bill. These requirements are substantial, coercive, and unrelated to current conduct. Under the Ellingburg standard, these effects are punitive in nature. As such, applying them retroactively would violate both the U.S. and Florida Constitutions.
For these reasons, and in keeping with the oath you have sworn to uphold, I respectfully ask you to oppose SB 212.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,