Source: clickorlando.com 1/10/25 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A divided appeals court Friday ruled that a state requirement for convicted sexual predators to have the words “SEXUAL PREDATOR” on their driver’s licenses violates First Amendment rights. The 2-1 decision by a panel of Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeal said the required designation is compelled speech that is not narrowly tailored to meet the state’s goals of informing the public about the presence of sexual predators. The ruling, which came in a Sumter County case, would not affect Florida’s system of publishing information…
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FL: Registered sex offender steps down as SRSO volunteer after social media blowback
Source: pnj.com 1/6/25 After much furor amongst social media community groups in Santa Rosa County, a registered sex offender who volunteered in the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office’s new Chaplain Unit has stepped down. In a since-deleted Facebook post by the SRSO, the department announced the launch of their new Chaplain Unit after Christmas. A photo included in the post shows a group of deputies and volunteers, including Charles Martin. Following the announcement, many on social media pointed out that Martin is a registered sex offender. According to the Florida Department of Law…
Read MoreFL: ‘Let Parents Decide’ What Kids Can Do Online, Argue Tech Groups in New Lawsuit
Source: reason.com 10/30/24 The groups are challenging a Florida law that bans some teens from social media. The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and NetChoice, two prominent tech-industry trade groups, have filed a lawsuit against a Florida statute barring younger teens from social media. Their suit—filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida—cites First Amendment concerns with Florida House Bill 3, which the groups also portray as an imposition on parents’ rights. “Florida House Bill 3 is the latest attempt in a long line of…
Read MoreFL: 47 Sex Workers and 96 Clients Arrested in Florida ‘Human Trafficking’ Sting/Sham
Source: reason.com 10/21/24 Polk County, Florida, continues to be one of the worst offenders for sham efforts to combat human trafficking. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is publicizing “Operation Autumn Sweep” as a “human trafficking operation” that netted 157 arrests, including 25 arrests of illegal immigrants. But the vast majority of those arrested are accused not of anything the average American would view as trafficking. Instead, they were allegedly either soliciting prostitution or offering to commit prostitution. After posing online as either (adult) sex workers or prospective customers, cops…
Read MoreFL: Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor reportedly arrested again on felony charge over sex offender registration violation
Source: msn.com 7/19/24 [ACSOL is posting this due to it being a well-known figure dealing with multi-state registration laws] Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested on Wednesday on a felony charge for failing to report his residence change as a registered sex offender, according to The Athletic. Taylor, 65, turned himself into the Broward Sheriff’s Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday and he was released on bail on Thursday, per the report. The incident is nearly identical to a situation in 2021, when Taylor was arrested for…
Read MoreFL: Westlake City Council blocks future registrants from living there
Source: cbs12.com 7/17/24 WESTLAKE, Fla. (CBS12) — The Westlake City Council unanimously signed off on plans to enact stricter requirements on sexual predators and offenders – with one minor change. The measure is designed to protect the youngest residents of the area’s fastest-growing city and its main focus is widening the zones where predators are allowed to live, keeping them further away from children. … Under the new regulations, schools, parks, community centers, playgrounds, and “other places where children regularly congregate” would be no-go zones. The proposal originally included libraries,…
Read MoreFL: MMA fighter turns vigilante: Man busts alleged child predator at Walmart
Source: abc45.com 6/21/24 DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — As a professional MMA fighter, Dustin “Scrappy” Lampros spends most of his days training for the ring. But in his free time, he fights for those who can’t defend themselves: hunting down predators who prey on children. One recent case involved Nicholas _____, 43, who was recently arrested for allegedly attempting to meet a minor for illicit purposes. The incident unfolded at a Walmart in Delray Beach. “I have the time to go and do this. Also, I have the skill set…
Read MoreFL: Sexual assault survivor demands change as federal data shows rise in cases aboard cruise ships
Source: news4jax.com 4/7/24 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A sexual assault survivor is demanding cruise lines do more to protect their customers as new federal data shows sexual assaults rose on cruise ships in 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported more than 100 sex crimes on ships embarking and disembarking in the U.S. In February 2006, Laurie Dishman said her life changed forever after booking a cruise from California to Mexico with her best friend Michelle. “We had boarded the ship and didn’t know what awaited us, we just thought we…
Read MoreFL: Convicted sex offender who hacked jumbotron at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ stadium gets 220 years
Source: ajc.com 3/26/24 [ACSOL is showing you this pay-only article as an example of extreme sentencing] JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A convicted child molester has been sentenced to 220 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material and hacking the jumbotron at the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium after the team learned he was a registered sex offender and fired him. A federal judge in Jacksonville sentenced 53-year-old Samuel Arthur Thompson, of St. Augustine, on Monday, according to court records. He was convicted in November of producing, receiving and possessing…
Read MoreFL: North Lauderdale Man Who Transported Child Pornography Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Source: justice.gov 4/19/24 MIAMI – On March 14, a North Lauderdale man, who is a registered sex offender, and who was convicted of transportation of over 620 electronic images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, who sits in Miami. Jason Hemans, 40, arrived at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Jamaica on August 18, 2023. Due to Hemans being a registered sex offender, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an…
Read MoreFL: Push to abolish sex offender registry picks up steam in Florida
Source: actionnewsjax.com 2/15/24 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are tens of thousands of people on the sex offender registry in Florida right now, but there’s a growing movement from a group pushing to abolish the public list completely. Right now, you can check the public list to see who’s on it and why. They could be your co-workers, neighbors, or a person who comes by to service your home. “I made a poor judgement call,” a local sex offender told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “I put myself in a situation…
Read MoreFL: Florida drops death penalty pursuit for man accused of child sex abuse
Source: tampabay.com 2/2/24 The state attorney in Lake County said the case’s quick resolution could be attributed to Florida’s new law. Though Florida prosecutors sought the death penalty for a man accused of sexually abusing a child, making use of a new law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last year, the accused man instead pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Joseph Andrew Giampa, 36, may have been the first person in Florida to face the possibility of a death sentence for a sex crime under the state’s new…
Read MoreACSOL/FAC Florida Action Alert 1/22 Deadline: Fight SB 1230 and HB 1235 (Travel, Residence, Registration)
Source: Florida Action Committee (FAC) 1/21/24 Attention Florida residents: Deadline to take action is Monday, January 22! What you need to know about the dangerous SB 1230 and HB 1235 bills: SB 1230 and HB 1235 are identical bills where our legislators are attempting to amend the Sexual Predators Act (FS 775.21) and the Sexual Offenders Act (943.0435). SB 1230 is on the agenda for the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on January 23, 2024, (Tuesday) at 1:00 pm, 37 Senate Building, so contact them before then. The sponsor of SB…
Read MoreFL: Florida human trafficking database with names and mugshots of perverts caught paying for sex VANISHES after lawmakers failed to agree to extend it
Source: dailymail.co.uk 1/10/24 Florida’s database with names and mugshots of people convicted of paying for sex suddenly disappeared on January 1, 2024. The Soliciting for Prostitution Public Database was launched at the start of 2021, and racked up a list of hundreds of offenders, according to ABC. The Database mysteriously vanished on January 1, 2024, along with a message saying that ‘the section requiring the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create and maintain the Solicitation for Prostitution Public Database stands repealed.’ Read the full article
Read MoreFL: Florida prosecutor announces first death penalty case under new child rape law
Source: tallahassee.com 12/15/23 During a May 1 bill signing event, DeSantis said the measure is “for the protection of children.” In a first for Florida, a Central Florida prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for a man charged with raping a child. The pursuit of capital punishment comes after lawmakers passed and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure allowing the death penalty for those convicted of sexually battering children under the age of 12. Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson this week announced that a Lake County grand jury had indicted Joseph…
Read MoreFL: V.M. Ybor residents get little help with sex offender problem
Source: wfla.com 12/1/23 TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The residents of V.M. Ybor have been coming to Tampa City Council for years to ask that something be done about a high concentration of convicted sex offenders living in their neighborhood. On Thursday, the city council held a workshop to talk about the issue, but the results were not what residents were hoping for. “Would that make any of you feel safe having 72 of these harmful individuals living within a quarter mile of your house?” V.M. Ybor resident Kelly Grimsdale asked…
Read MoreFL: Lee County considers animal abuser registry to prevent future cases
Source: nbc-2.com 11/7/23 LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is working with county commissioners to keep convicted animal abusers from getting their hands on another animal. LCSO wants to create an animal abuser registry that would list those convicted of abuse. On Tuesday, Lee County Commissioners approved the animal registry ordinance on the consent agenda to move to a public hearing, so leaders can get the community’s thoughts. “It’s important to protect those that cannot protect themselves. I say it all the time, whether it’s the…
Read MoreFL: Man accuses Polk deputy of making false child-porn arrest after asking to call lawyer
Source: clickorlando.com 10/31/23 POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd faces a lawsuit after a man was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography in 2020, according to court records filed on Tuesday. The lawsuit says that the sheriff’s office had started an investigation dubbed “Operation Guardians of Innocence V” back in October 2019, during which detectives searched for suspects in possession of child pornography. After months of investigation, deputies said that Edgardo Cancela — who lived in Davenport with his wife and two children — had been…
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