Over the last month, we've been exploring how those men and women who have paid their debt to society for a sex crime conviction are never truly free from the grasp of law enforcement given that Florida law mandates that their names must be added to the sex crime registry.
Indeed, in our last post on this subject, we began exploring some of the basic -- yet onerous -- reporting requirements by which those individuals classified as either a sexual offender or a sexual predator must abide.
In today's post, we'll explore how even those individuals who served their time in another state and travel to Florida for work, school, temporary residence or even a visit will also find themselves under careful watch by state law enforcement officials.
While it may seem unjust, state and federal laws dictate that any sexual offenders or sexual predators must register with local authorities in any state in which they work, attend school or establish a temporary residence.
By way of example, consider a person who was previously convicted of a sex crime in another state and was able to secure a couple months of seasonal work in Florida. Here, the person would have to register their temporary address with the local authorities after arriving in the Sunshine State and would also be covered by all of the state's sex offender registration laws.
This means that despite being in the state for only a few months, their name would be added to the sex crime registry and would not be removed even after they left. Furthermore, even if they were fortunate to have their name removed from the sex crime registry in their home state, there is no guarantee that Florida would follow suit.
The story is largely the same for those visiting Orlando for its many amusement parks, as they are required to register with officials within a mere 48 hours of setting foot in the state, reporting to both the local sheriff's office and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Any failure by those from another state to abide by these reporting requirements will be treated as a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Our purpose in providing information on how the state sex crime registry works is not to discourage or alarm. It is to emphasize the gravity of these types of charges and illustrate why anyone in this scenario must consider speaking with a skilled legal professional as soon as possible.
In our next post on this topic, we'll explore some of the limitations on freedom for both sexual offenders and sexual predators here in Florida.
At the Law Offices of Horwitz & Citro, P.A., we understand how the consequences of a sex crime conviction go well beyond incarceration. As such, we will do everything in our power to prepare the strongest possible defense designed to identify the flaws in the prosecutor's case and demonstrate how they have failed to meet the burden of proof.
