Pasco sex offender proposal would increase buffer

12-12-2014 Florida:

WESLEY CHAPEL — Registered sexual offenders in Florida are not allowed to live within 1,000 feet of schools, day care centers, playgrounds or other places where children congregate.

An ordinance proposed by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore and supported by Sheriff Chris Nocco would force sex offenders in the county to live 2,500 feet away from kid facilities.

Similar measures were implemented in Miami-Dade County in 2010 and Lake County in 2012.

“This will limit their contact with children and vulnerable seniors, and help prevent them from committing new offenses,” Moore said. “We want to make it as difficult as possible to return or relocate back to Pasco to commit what, to me, are pretty sick crimes.

“Quite a few municipalities (in Florida) have done similar things. I’m including bus stops, schools, day care centers, playgrounds, libraries, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. A lot of older people who are disabled or infirm are just as vulnerable as kids.”

The proposal would not apply to registered sexual offenders with legal permanent addresses established before the proposed ordinance is enacted, said Moore, adding that he hopes county commissioners will consider the ordinance in January.

There are 872 registered sex offenders in Pasco; of those, 92 are considered sexual predators and five are juvenile offenders, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Why should we wait for someone to be a victim for us to react? These are necessary steps,” Nocco said. “We don’t want to go to a mother or father and tell them that their child has been the victim of a heinous crime.

“This is not a be-all, end-all, but it’s another safeguard, another step forward. We can’t put a shield on all our children, but if we can do something to make them a little bit safer, I think that’s a good idea.”

The 2010 ordinance in Miami-Dade was created after nearly 100 offenders were forced out of squalid living conditions under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, the Miami Herald reported.

One consequence was that the 2,500-foot law left sex offenders with fewer living options.

In October, the national chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court reasoning that Miami-Dade and the state Department of Corrections violated registered sex offenders’ basic rights to personal safety and to maintain a home, the Herald reported.

The Lake County ordinance of 2012 banned sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of day care centers, public and private parks, playgrounds and schools — and prohibited them from living with each other unless they were related, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Lake County added a stipulation that sex offenders also could not live within 500 feet of another sex offender, the newspaper said.

Proposed expansions of the 1,000-foot law have been considered by several municipalities around the Tampa Bay area.

Zephyrhills considered a 2,500-foot buffer in 2006 but decided against it, as did Tampa in 2008.

In 2010, the San Antonio City Commission adopted a 1,500-foot ordinance, practically making the entire small city off-limits to sex offenders.

Moore, the county commissioner, said he isn’t worried about housing issues for convicted sex offenders.

“They should live outside of our proposed ordinances. We don’t want to be a safe haven for these criminals,” Moore said. “If they can find a place to live outside that area, fine, but we can’t be fearful of backlash or possible lawsuits.

“Our No. 1 priority is looking out for vulnerable citizens.” ..Source.. by GEOFF FOX