Tag: Florida

FL: Florida Lawmakers Unanimously Advance Bill Seeking Death Penalty for Pedophiles

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Source: ntd.com 4/13/23 A new Florida bill allowing capital punishment for those committing sexual battery on children under 12 cleared the state’s rules committee this week and is now heading to the full Senate. Senate Bill 1342 (pdf), a bipartisan effort by Sen. Lauren Book (D-Fla.) and Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fla.), cleared the Florida Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday by unanimous vote, and the state House committee is scheduled on Thursday to consider its version of the measure—House Bill 1297 (pdf). The proposal stipulates that defendants 18 or older could…

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FL: Brevard settles lawsuit over sex offenders’ access to County Commission meetings

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Source: floridatoday.com 4/8/23 Brevard County has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit involving the right of convicted sex offenders to attend County Commission meetings. As part of the settlement, the county agreed to pay damages of $2,500 each to the plaintiffs ― sex offenders Charles Munsey Jr., Vincent Rinaldi and Charles Violi ― plus pay $150,000 for plaintiffs’ attorney fees. The lawsuit filed in January 2022 in U.S. District Court was triggered by a 2006 Brevard County ordinance that, with some exceptions, prohibits people on the sex offender registry from…

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FL: Sex offender acquitted in kidnapping and rape case sentenced to 8 years on other charges

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Source: news-journalonline.com 3/28/23 A sex offender acquitted last year of kidnapping and rape charges was found guilty Tuesday of unrelated charges of failing to properly register. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Jason Nicholas Minton, 46, of Orange City, was found guilty of two counts of failure of a sex offender to properly register; each is a third-degree felony punishable by up five years in prison. He was found not guilty of a third count of failure of a sex offender to properly register. Read the full article…

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FL: CALL TO ACTION: HB 1085 Moved to new committees: Infrastructure & Appropriations Subcommittee and Infrastructure Strategies Committee

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Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 3/16/23 Florida residents, take action quickly! Major Concerns About This Bill: The bill states that all driver’s licenses and identification cards for people on the registry “shall have printed in the color red all information otherwise required to be printed on the front of the license or identification card.” HB 1085, lines 805-821 This bill was passed by a vote of 16 to 2 in the Transportation & Modals Subcommittee on 3.15.2023 as a result of a good deal of misinformation. The sponsor, Rep. Patt Maney, did not…

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FL: Tampa man who was first to face trial for Florida voter fraud in 2020 election gets probation

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Source: tampabay.com 2/27/23 A Hillsborough County man who was the first person in Florida to face trial on charges of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election was sentenced Monday to two years of probation. Nathan Hart, 49, was arrested in August as part of a sweep announced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in which about 20 people were arrested on voter fraud charges related to the 2020 election …. During the trial, Hart took the stand and explained that he was approached by a man outside a Hillsborough County…

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FL: Bills filed in both the Florida Senate and House that would allow the death penalty for child rapist

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Source: firstcoastnews.com 3/1/23 The bill would allow people convicted of raping children to be executed on a non-unanimous jury vote of 8-4.   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Accused child rapists face the death penalty under a bill filed Wednesday by two Republican lawmakers. Twin proposals were introduced in the Florida House and Senate to allow people who rape children under the age of 12 to be executed.  The House version was filed by new Jacksonville Rep. Jessica Baker, a prosecutor in the 7th Circuit. The Senate version was filed by Sen. Johnathan…

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FL: He was homeless and mentally ill. A judge sentenced him to 150 years for CP. Is that justice?

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Source: miamiherald.com 2/27/23 There’s no argument: Jared Stephens committed a crime, and he deserved some form of punishment. We’re not suggesting that child pornography isn’t an evil act. Possessing it is a crime for good reason. But the fight now in Florida courts to reduce the 150-year prison term Stephens received is about more than laws and sentences. It’s about how how our judicial system treats defendants with serious mental illness. The question is whether the 32-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia — who talked in court about shutting off electricity…

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FL: Century Man Tries To Run Over Man He Thought Was Convicted Sex Offender, ECSO Says

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Source: northescambia.com 2/22/23 A Century man is charged after allegedly trying to run over a man he thought was a convicted sex offender as he walked out of a liquor store. Kinte Hassan Franklin, 45, was charged with felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon. The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Franklin was the driver of a maroon car with the window partially down outside the Fusion Liquor store next door to the Food Giant on North Century Boulevard. The driver, Franklin, told him “I’m going to…

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FL: Lifetime Registration for Florida Sex Offenders Isn’t ‘Custody’

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Source: The United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit 2/9/23 The question before us in this appeal—one of first impression—is whether Florida’s registration and reporting requirements for sex offenders render those offenders “in custody” within the meaning of § 2254(a). Though the question is difficult given Supreme Court and Eleventh Circuit precedent, our answer is no. … The Florida sex offender registration statute, in contrast, did not impose a “sentence” and did not constitute “punishment.” Download a PDF of the decision: Eleventh-Circuit-Ruling-No.-21-12540-D.C.-Docket-No.-217-cv-00396-JLB-NPM.pdf

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FL: DeSantis proposes death penalty for certain sex crimes, increased punishment for fentanyl

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Source: tampabay.com 1/26/23 Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a tough-on-crime agenda ahead of the upcoming legislative session, including proposals to expand the death penalty to certain types of sex crimes and mandating life sentences for people convicted of selling fentanyl that looks like candy to children. “We want to make sure that we cement our reputation as being a law-and-order state and take actions as necessary to help further protect the people of the state of Florida,” he said during a news conference Thursday at the Miami Police Benevolent Association hall.…

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FL: Gainesville commissioners vote to allow sex offenders to live closer to schools, day cares and parks

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Source: wuft.org 12/5/22 The Gainesville City Commission passed an amendment Tuesday that allows people convicted of sexual offenses involving children under age 16 to live closer to schools, day care centers and parks, reducing the prohibited radius from 2,500 feet to 1,000 feet. The amendment also establishes a cut-off date that was previously not recognized by the City of Gainesville, meaning people convicted of this offense before the ordinance was first adopted in 2005 no longer have this restriction on where they live. With these changes, the ordinance now matches…

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FL: 10-year-old student may face battery charge after hugging school counselor

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Source: nbcnews.com 11/9/22 A 10-year-old boy was suspended from his Florida elementary school and faces a charge of misdemeanor battery after he was accused of inappropriately touching a school counselor during a hug, an allegation his family denies. The counselor at Holly Hill School in Volusia County alleged that she was visiting a classroom on Oct. 24 to discuss something when the fourth-grader approached her for a hug, according to a police report and a copy of his suspension letter provided by the boy’s family’s attorneys.  She said she “turned…

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FL: Florida sheriff’s deputy arrested for sex with teen in youth cadet program

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Source: nypost.com 10/19/22 A Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested Tuesday for having sex with a teen he supervised in the department’s youth cadet program, including several trysts while on duty, officials said. Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew _____, 21, admitted to sexual relations with the 17-year-old a total of seven times. The agency said _____ acknowledged having illicit contact with the victim while on active police duty. “The Bay County Jr. Deputy and Explorer Program is a program for youth that are interested in law enforcement,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy…

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FL: Jacksonville won’t require sex offenders to post ‘no candy’ signs outside home for Halloween

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Source: news.yahoo.com 10/19/22 A warning to parents planning trick-or-treating routes: The City of Jacksonville will not require registered sex offenders or predators to post a sign outside their home indicating no trick-or-treaters allowed. Typically, on Halloween, registered sex offenders and predators have to post a sign saying “no candy.” The requirement is being challenged by two registered sex offenders who filed a lawsuit against the city, saying the ordinance violates their constitutional rights. Some neighbors Action News Jax spoke with said, they agree. “I think the sign — it’d be…

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FL: Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests

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Source: tampabay.com 10/18/22 TALLAHASSEE — When police went to arrest Tony Patterson outside his Tampa home in August, he couldn’t believe the reason. “What is wrong with this state, man?” Patterson protested as he was being escorted to a police car in handcuffs. “Voter fraud? Y’all said anybody with a felony could vote, man.” Body-worn camera footage recorded by local police captured the confusion and outrage of Hillsborough County residents who found themselves in handcuffs for casting a ballot following investigations by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new Office of Election Crimes…

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FL: ‘Nationally-recognized’ teacher arrested in Fort Lauderdale for sex assault on minor after Tinder meet

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Source: local10.com 10/10/22 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A teacher who has worked in schools in Miami-Dade and Broward and who received a presidential award is facing charges in Broward County Court for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy who went on to write a college entry essay about it in school, police said. Fort Lauderdale police officers arrested Carlos _____, 46, on Oct. 3, Broward Sheriff’s Office corrections records show. The case started in Connecticut after a school counselor’s report, police said. Faced with the evidence, _____ surrendered to FLPD,…

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German Court Grants Protection to former Florida Sex Offense Registrant on Human Rights Grounds

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Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 10/7/22 Taken from the FAC article: SOURCE: Steven Whitsett, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Sending registrants back to prison for mere administrative violations of Florida’s sex offender registry violates human rights law.  How’s that for a bit of good news? After paying my “debt to society” by completing a lengthy prison term in Florida and two years of supervision, I decided that I didn’t owe anything further and was not going to be persecuted in my own country for the rest of my life.  So, I packed my bags and boarded…

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