When someone complains about Florida, or any other state for that matter, and other commenters reply with “then you should move to another state”, lets just keep in mind that’s not a viable solution for everyone.
First, if you are on any form of supervision, you can’t just leave. There’s a process that involves the cooperation and willingness of two jurisdictions. Some are on lifetime supervision. The bottom line is; there are a percentage of us who would give our right arms to leave but simply can’t.
Second, many of us have family or community ties to where we are. Some are caregivers to a loved one, some are parents to a child in school. Uprooting yourself is one thing, but uprooting your dependents is another. Taking an elderly parent away from the doctors they are comfortable with or moving a child away from friends they grew up with is not an easy thing to force on someone. Also, many are divorced and can’t expect an ex spouse to cooperate in relocating children to another state to facilitate visitation. Given the choice of not seeing their children or suffering in Florida, for many there’s no choice.
Third, many of us are dependents ourselves. Can’t find jobs, can’t afford housing, live with parents, siblings, or friends and can’t afford to just pick up and relocate to someplace they have no support. Sure, if you have an Uncle in Vermont who will let you stay in his guest house and give you a job at his furniture factory, great! You have an option. But if you’re going to get off the bus in Burlington and survive off the $1375 in your bank account, it’s not happening.
And finally, and this is an important one… some of us are intransigent and unwilling to be stepped on. This is their cause, this is their life. You will find gun owners who would sooner have a firearm pried from their dead fingers than give up their guns. That’s how some people feel about their humanity, their dignity, their family and their rights. To use a maritime metaphor, there are some that will abandon ship and some that will go down with the ship. Respect to those.
By no means is this is a judgment call for anybody who actually has the option to leave and chooses to stay or go. There are very valid reasons for both and every individual has their own personal considerations when it comes to making that decision. I only want to make two statements; if you’re going to make statements telling others to leave Florida, please remember not everyone can, and if you’re going to make statements telling others to stay, grab an oar and help us paddle!
Between the < and > it should say “if you have EVER been convicted of a registrable offense in another state”
Dear friends, there have been several comments here about what is the affect on your registry status is if you leave Florida. I am registered in 2 states, Iowa and Florida. And as some of you know, I have been researching the registries of the 50 states and 5 territories for several years now, so please let me offer a few insights.
First, my personal experience leaving Florida. Fact, you can leave or even die, but Florida never takes you off. The result is that no matter where you go the Florida registry follows you. Iowa, it turns out, is one of those states that puts you on their registry either (a) for the amount of time they would require, or (b) for the amount of time required by your state of offense (Florida), whichever is MORE. Therefore they put me on lifetime even though the time period for an in-state offense would be ten years! The good news for me is that due to a quirk in Iowa law, I am allowed to apply to get off after 5 years. Yey! Of course, whether they will approve me is a separate question.
HOWEVER: So – if I get off Iowa’s registry I’m “free to go,” right?
WRONG! Yes I’ll be free to go – but ONLY in Iowa! As soon as I cross into another state – say, Illinois or Minnesota or Missouri – either as a visitor or if I move to that state – I am immediately subject to that state’s rules. Why? Because nearly all states’ registry laws require you to comply and register <> – not if you are on or off the registry in any other state. So if I wanted to get myself off the registry in a second state – for example, Georgia – I would have to move to Georgia, get on their registry, and then follow their procedure to get off. If I were successful, then I’d be “free to go” in Georgia and Iowa, but every time I traveled back and forth between those state’s I’d have to follow the “visitor rules” for all the states in between – AND whenever I would travel anywhere else I’d still have to follow all those state by state visitor rules.
Some of you also know I have a travel blog, Atwo Zee, Registered Traveler, which can be found at https://a2twozee.blogspot.com/
On that site I have two charts, “State and Territorial Visitor Registration Law Guide” and “State and Territorial Visitor Registration Laws for FORMER nd LONG-TERM registrants.” This second chart gives you state by state rules for if and how you can apply to get off each state and territory’s registry, including relevant statutory quotes and references. I hope this information is helpful.
Darn, there goes my move to Vermont!
The special legislative session begins tomorrow in Tallahassee. You know, where the “compensated” state legislators “get tough” on their donors to get us the best rates. Meanwhile, we continue to pay higher insurance premiums because these same legislators allow the rich to build on the beach, on flood plains, on wetlands, etc. When are the cowards in Tallahassee going to address that?
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Calendar/2022A/Daily%20Calendars%202022-12-09%20184710.PDF
The same goes for America: “Don’t like it, leave.”
I’m sure a lot of people would leave tracks getting TF out of this place but there is no way for a fresh start anywhere that I know of because we’re basically dead. That, and “angel watch” and the State Department will bad mouth you to your new country when you apply for a Visa. .
Facts
Your comment just triggered something for me. So if you try and go to another country, they make it hard for you to do so which proves to me at least, it is in fact, All about the money. Each of us are a paycheck for the registries which create jobs. More funds equals more officers and resources to fund those officers duties enforcing the registry requirements.
As stated by FAC in past, even if you leave to another state, or even die, you are not removed from the Florida registry. Why you ask, the same reason, it funds the registry scheme. How can a dead person or someone who moved out of state justify more funding? If that is not scamming the government, I don’t know what is.
Another point I’ve been making since becoming a registrant. Grants are given based on the size of the registry, ergo, Florida’s real reason for not removing dead, incarcerated, or relocated registrants, as well as adding so many more register-able offenses (obviously, Florida is not alone in that).
You would think the ironically-named SMART office would have a problem with that. But like any other government agency at any level, the worst thing in the world that could happen to them is coming in at or under budget in any given year. Betting that’s also why they changed their standard for those grants from full compliance with their mandates to substantial compliance (“substantial apparently redefined as simply having a registry at all).
I’ve tried finding a means to ask SMART to audit whatever grant funds they dole out, but have come up empty. If anyone has any idea how to make that happen, I’m all ears.
Some are on lifetime supervision and cannot leave?
Wow!! THAT is just wrong, wrong, wrong!!
All the more reason to fight!!
Great job of clarifying everything in a well written and kind rebuttal to those who think you ought to just pack-up and go.
It was Patrick Henry who said “Give me liberty or give me death!”
May God grant us all the liberty that all of us are longing and fighting for. Amen.
Question??? If you have been on the Florida registry for say 16 years and you move to a state that only has a 10 or 15 year requirement. Would that state force you to register? If not why if you could would someone not move to that state and then once you did your 20 apply to get off the Florida registry and if successful just move back?
Our son just moved back here to Ohio because my brother who lived down in Florida decided to move back home to be around family. If our son would not have come back with his uncle he would have been left in Florida without any family support. Ohio has placed our son on a tier one and has listed his charges from Florida but rather than listing a victim they list that it was a sting operation. For a tier one in Ohio it is 15 years on the registry but they can apply to come off at 10. Our son was given credit for time on the registry in Florida and has 4 more years before he can become eligible to apply to come off. Also in Ohio they have a blanket residency restriction of 1000 ft from a school or daycare for all offenders. Our son did not have any residency restrictions in Florida so I guess that was one trade off for having him closer to a family support system. Problem he is having right now is finding a job. He had one he left in Florida detailing cars at an auto dealership and he applied to one up here and was up front and honest about his past and they made it seem like they wanted to hire him after taking a drug test but they have been ghosting him for 2 weeks now. We encouraged him to apply elsewhere but the mom in me wants so much to go in that dealership and give them a what for and educate them about the registry. It has been difficult to navigate as a family because we are all affected. We both work for schools and we fear that if anyone catches wind that we have a son on the registry we would lose our jobs. That is why we try and maintain a low profile when it comes to talking about our son. It’s one of the things I hate about the registry and consider it punishment. Our son along with many others did their time and for most have never had any issue or recidivism but yet they are still bound in captivity by the registry. Sorry so long just frustrated.
DHV
Thank for you sharing. Mom’s are very protective and in my case, my Mom was trying to get me to petition our Governor Ron Desantis. I explained to her that it would be political suicide for him to do that, and even if it wouldn’t, there is no way our governor is pardoning any sex offenders.
Hell would freeze over and the Earth would stand still if that happened. I mean they won’t even remove the dead and those who have moved away, why would they remove anyone else without a court order?
Best wishes for your son. When I worked I had no issues finding jobs. It was when a customer recognized me and complained that I would get let go. My last job was working in a warehouse. It was a pack and ship company so we did not deal with customers directly and you had to be at least 18 to work there due to Heavy equipment and OSHA regulations.
The 1,000 foot registry is only for convictions after 2003.
In Florida? Not true. Even though the STATE has admitted that they can’t extend that special condition of probation to anyone convicted before 2005, they “allow” the cities and counties to do it and we never seem to have anyone challenge that no matter how many lawsuits we see. If you are talking about Ohio, then i the past, they apply the rules of your state of conviction. That is what happned to Derek from Once Fallen. If you were convicted before the AWA, you normally would have gotten off in 10 years in Ohio. But they would say that Florida is “lifetime” registration no matter what, so you are lifetime. If they are now using the new AWA standard, then it would be 25 years for most of us. Not sure if that is 25 from conviction like I hear the Federal standard is, or 25 from end of sanctions like many states. The two states that I know of in the east that apply their on standards of Georgia and Vermont. But in Georgia, it varies depending on when you were convicted. If you have 10 years since end of sanctions, you don’t eve have to register in Vermont if you are a 19 year registrant, which most are from what I can tell. Problem is that Vermont is COLD and very expensive. 4 or 5 years ago, you could find cheap real estate in places other than the Burlington metro area, but no longer.
Thank you for the information. I am sorry to hear about the job. Has he gone back in? If not tell him to go in person. He needs to get a hard yes or no. That way he can move on to his next opportunity. Have him look into call centers or companies that work remote.
You are by far the most sensitive, intelligent, well spoken human being I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoy reading what you have to say,when you say it. Thank you, thank you for representing all of us! As for the haters and trolls, we’ll they will receive the judgements they so justly deserve.
And even if you leave, you are still on the Florida registry unless you can petition to remove, so what is the point? The old saying “You can run but you cannot hide” applies because one stroke of the keyboard and someone you live near in your new state, finds your past on the Florida registry.
I have major OCD and change is really hard for me and have even quit a job I loved over new policies that had a major impact on one’s quality of job environment. I no longer even know the rules for the registry as they change faster than I change my socks.
I go and do my registry requirement and otherwise wait for the next round of harsher restrictions with each new session passed by law makers. Something somewhere has to give.
But if you are not on the registry say in Georgia, you can use a pseudonym without risking 5 years of prison. Sure, a search suing your real name will turn you up on the Federal registry, but if you are off, it won’t show up on the local one telling people where you live. People say that isn’t relief, but these are the same folks who crow about essentially meaningless “victories” in court. They need to make up their minds.
Amen and amen. I have enough money to leave today. What I can’t do is uproot my kids, job, wife’s job, family and support system and go to GA. All very good points stated in the post.
I am reminded of Capt Bob’s view on this, to the effect of, ‘well I like it here, and state bureaucrats can’t get rid of me!’
This may be the best post in this forum I’ve ever read. Kudos to whomever wrote it.
Well said.