01/11/2012
By Eloísa Ruano González
TAVARES - County commissioners moved ahead on tightening restrictions on sex offenders this week, unanimously approving a "cluster buster" ordinance that will prohibit offenders from inundating an apartment complex, mobile-home park or neighborhood.
The new restrictions, which apply to sex offenders with victims under 16, will prevent "havens" from forming in Lake, commission Chairwoman Leslie Campione said. She said the clusters are becoming a problem across the U.S.
- The very residency restrictions you are passing is what is causing the clustering. Get rid of them and this won't be a problem.
"We're on the cutting edge to protect our children and to protect our communities," Campione said. "Even if we have challenges, we're on good ground here."
The push for tighter regulations came after a Tampa woman suggested last year the Sorrento area could be an ideal place to establish a special neighborhood (Video #1, #2, #3) for sex offenders. Barbara Farris, president of the Apopka-based SO Housing Solutions, wanted to create the community to offer housing, transportation and other services to paroled sex offenders.
- This lady is just someone looking for a way to exploit people for money. She has been going after, and harassing sex offenders for years, and now she wants to offer them homes? You can click the "BarbaraFarris" link above to see all the related articles about her.
In October, commissioners passed an ordinance banning sex offenders from residing 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.
- And this is exactly what is causing the clustering. Now they want to pass more laws to "get rid" of the clustering they created, which will just make matters worse. If you'd repeal the residency laws, then this would not be a problem.
However, commissioners felt that wasn't enough and pushed to add the more stringent restrictions. Under the new ordinance, offenders cannot live within 500 feet of another sex offender, which County Attorney Sandy Minkoff said will prevent clustering in any part of the county.
- So now, trying to find a home within the law, which is already hard enough, they must now also find out if any sex offenders live near by? Come on! Hopefully the ACLU or someone will step in and get this squashed. It's just the usual knee-jerk reaction that doesn't fix anything.
"This would spread them out fairly significantly and prohibit any one apartment building or development being used to congregate several," Minkoff said.
Like Seminole and Hillsborough, Lake set a 300-foot "safety zone" buffer around day-care centers, schools, parks and playgrounds. Offenders aren't allowed to cross except, for example, if they're going to see a doctor or meet with their attorney, Minkoff said. And they'll have to declare themselves as sex offenders when they walk into an emergency shelter during a hurricane or natural disaster.
However, under the ordinance, sex offenders may not be forced to move out if their current living arrangements violate the new restrictions. There are more than 400 registered sex offenders in Lake. Not all of them are listed as abusing children.
Nonetheless, the action will deter offenders from moving into Lake and setting up "sex-offender villages," Commissioner Jimmy Conner said after the meeting. The restrictions send a strong message, he said.
"That is: convicted sex offenders not welcomed," Conner said. "I'm not ashamed or afraid to send that message. You ought not to be scared or timid when it comes to protecting young people. You should be bold and aggressive. And, I think, that's what we're doing."
- But, nothing you are doing "protects" young people!
Anyone who is interested is welcome to contact me for a form letter to send to this misinformed legislator that explains exactly why NOT this should be passed. Names, addresses, statistics, and sources are already included with option to add your own personal story or not. All you have to do is print and mail it!
ReplyDeleteWell, you didn't leave your email address so nobody will know how to contact you.
ReplyDeleteRegulating where someone can live is unconstitutional enough! Making it illegal for them to live in a area because a certain class of people also live there is called: COMMUNISIM!
ReplyDeleteWHERE DO YOU WANT THESE CITIZENS TO GO !! These people are TRYING to SURVIVE, not set up some kind of sex offender village ! What a bunch of DUMB A*SES !
Let me be clear.
ReplyDeleteThis was Barbara Ferris' INTENDED GOAL FROM THE START. Her goal was NOT to rehabilitate sex offenders, but to force the communities to create laws in the first place.
NO reporter is actually writing on this because, of course, that would go AGAINST the community's desire to restrict as MUCH as LEGALLY POSSIBLE ... ANY residence that RSO's can go to.
To THAT end, the question is NOT "Where do you want the RSO's to go?" THAT would imply an answer that would NOT lead to laws such as this crap enacted in the first place.
Rather, this was a diabolical, fiendish plan by Ferris FROM THE GET GO to FORCE a community to ENACT STRICTER LAWS. Ferris has NO INTENTION of doing ANYTHING To better the lives of RSO's. I will go further: Barbara Ferris is doing EVERYTHING she can to DESTROY the lives of RSO's.
Please don't fall for the narrative of what the media is trying to report, because THIS was a FULLY PLANNED RESULT by Ferris. Why? Because she is approaching other communities around the state with her sex offender housing proposal, KNOWING FULL WELL that this will cause EXACTLY THE ACTIONS TAKEN by Tavaraes. Please make note of my remarks, Zman, and if you want I'll write a COMPLETE followup for publication in a separate post, complete with citations and results of interviews from personnel.
Not for publication!
ReplyDeleteI apologize, I used "Zman" in the letter. Please edit out that name out.
Palmdale California has an ordinance keeping us 1000 feet from another sex offender.
ReplyDeleteGo Ahead lawmakers, keep making more and more of these restrictions, laws, and regulations against registered offenders.
ReplyDeleteIt gives the opposition that much more p[ower to successfully argue PUNITION in front of SCOTUS. Think I don't know what I'm talking about??? Just wait and see................
If I understand the term correctly wouldn't this law be considered a violation of Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution. Prohibiting the passing of any Bills of Attainder and Bills of Pains and Penalties. As well as most so called Sex Offender Laws.
ReplyDeleteSince I have been convicted of a sex offense. My PO has just recently ordered me to delete my Facebook account stating that as a RSO I'm not allowed to be on any social network according to Federal Law, and Facebook's own terms of use.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if the first time these laws are tried in court, just such an observation would render the law irrelevant...
ReplyDeleteThis would also tend to render the new laws keeping SO's from parks and public beaches impotent. Protections were put in place to protect citizens from this kind of nonsense but it's clear that nobody reads the law anymore...
History is mostly written by the victors and the truth is very often lost. Law is much the same: ignore established precedents and protections and pass new laws that are either superimposed on current laws or attempt to hide them altogether...
Give a sex offender a job that can allow them to pay for rent electric and food you have a another law abiding citizen. Entrap them into a corner with no means to survive - you crate a rabid rat. Oh sorry that makes sense. I should listen to the politicians who know nohting about sex offenders
ReplyDeleteYes Yes put a Giant S on their forehead and then ask Hitler how well that worked with the Jews
ReplyDeleteYes Yes put a Giant S on their forehead and then ask Hitler how well that worked with the Jews
ReplyDelete