WARNING: Strong crackdowns are here!
All, a couple of weeks ago we warned that strong crackdowns were taking place across Florida (https://floridaactioncommittee.org/fac-weekly-update-2026-06-23-compliance-checks-and-registration-enforcement-across-florida/)
Today, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of “Operation Silver Spur”, in which 126 registrants were arrested for technical violations such as vehicle reporting, internet identifiers, etc. For context, there are 667 registrants in Osceola County. That means 19% of the registrant population in the county was arrested – that’s nearly 1 in 5! (see: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/operation-silver-spur-sex-offenders-back-behind-bars)
In Taylor County (who even knew there was a “Taylor County” in Florida) of the 78 registrants, 5 were arrested (6.4%) in another announcement today (https://fox49.tv/news/local/fdle-taylor-county-sheriff-arrest-five-in-3-day-sex-offender-compliance-sweep) and last week in Alachua, operation “Get ‘Em Gator”, got 25 (https://cbs12.com/news/local/operation-get-em-gator-nets-25-arrests-for-sex-offender-registry-violations-in-florida-fdles-missing-persons-and-offender-enforcement-division-jacksonville-regional-operations-center-gainesville-field-office-partnered-alachua-county-sheriffs-office).
We know some of these arrests, if not most, are for petty things, like an account you didn’t know you had to register or one that’s been dormant forever and you forgot about. Barely any are for new crimes (outside of registration violations). Just know this is taking place and make sure your family has the contact information to a defense attorney handy. There definitely appears to be a state-wide initiative to lock up as many registrants as possible, so please be vigilant!
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I’m not trying to single anyone out, but if the individual is on the autism spectrum, this is a story that deserves media attention—if the family is comfortable sharing it.
The public should hear this perspective because it presents another side to the sheriff’s narrative that everyone involved was dangerous. In reality, it’s possible that some people did not knowingly fail to report something they were legally required to report. That distinction matters.
I have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a cognitive impairment. When I forgot to report something in my own Failure to Register (FTR) case, my disability wasn’t recognized or taken into account. My attorney told me I could have gone to trial, potentially set a legal precedent, and still ended up serving five years. Instead, I accepted the minimum sentence of six months of GPS community control (essentially extreme house arrest) to avoid that risk. In many ways, it was more difficult than the three years of probation I received for my original sentence.
This raises an important question: if people with cognitive disabilities are expected to comply with complex legal requirements that their conditions may make difficult to understand or remember, how can those laws be enforced fairly? That’s a conversation the public deserves to have.
Has Volusia county been involved in sweeps. As it is they rarely do a residency check maybe once a year.
FAC can you please fix the links under “More Florida Attorney’s” on the resource page? Those links lead to a 404 error.
Anonymous
I just checked just now 7/14/26 at 8:03 am, and the attorney page comes up perfect for me.
You’re right Cherokee. It’s working now. Thank You.
We need to gather our skills, talents and resources together to fight back! I’ve offered to help but no takers.
No one knows what an “internet identifier” is because FDLE will not tell us even though we’ve asked, and many county sheriff’s offices are not following the legal definitions or the Federal court order which upheld the very requirement to report “internet identifiers” in the first place as constitutional ONLY UNDER specific conditions, which the state made a “solemn declaration” under oath to follow.
I guess “solemn declarations” under oath don’t go that far these days. I therefore strongly urge FAC to return to Federal court to seek statewide enforcement of the order in Delgado v. Swearingen, which everyone can read for themselves at https://floridaactioncommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/II-Case-Order.pdf
We know very well what an internet identifier is. The problem is that law enforcement does not, and they’re the ones with the power of arrest. Nor do registrants who don’t follow this site.
Operation Silver Spurs got our son because his dad failed to inform either our autistic son or my self that the state sent an auto renewal tag last year with a new number. Had our son known about it he would most definitely reported it as he does with everything else. He is meticulous with details and reporting which I attend with him.
Our autistic son NEVER drives my husband’s vehicle and I rarely drive it. You can bet another fight ensued with my husband over yet another of his communication fails. Our son did NOTHING wrong. In fact, this entire situation is tragically and horrifically unreasonable, unconstitutional and evil that our corrupted government can do this to people only because there will always be ignorant hateful people cheering for the lions to tear apart those they judge and condemn. Humanity has a significant amount of people who have yet to evolve.
Operation Silver Spurs and the puppet corrupt media…our daughter saw this on “the news” last night and erupted into tears…she desperately wishes the public could hear the true stories:
https://www.wftv.com/news/more-than-100-registered-sex-offenders-arrested-osceola-county-sheriff-says/11020709-f0db-41f7-95af-7a238e69bb8c/
Was your son arrested under this sting or similar and is diagnosed an the spectrum? I have my son on the spectrum too. But if hes a registrant would this help further the disability side of things how knowingly should come into play.
I feel for you and your family . We definitely understand. I don’t know when the public will ever hear the truth on these matters.
I am so sorry you and your son are going through this. Unfortunately, it’s only the arrests that Osceola County cares about, they know damn well that a lot of these cases will be dropped because the elements of intent do not exist, but the public won’t hear about that. This is a massive waste of resources and has absolutely nothing to do with “protecting kids”. Imagine if they used those resources to combat fentanyl, drunk drivers, and unsecured guns…which happen to cause way more harm to children These stings are a joke only it’s not funny to the families who are affected.