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The Florida Senate

CS/HB 1333 — Sexual Offenders

by Judiciary Committee and Rep. Baxley (CS/SB 1662 by Appropriations Committee and Senators Bradley and Evers)

This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.

Prepared by: Criminal Justice Committee (CJ)

The bill amends numerous provisions of the laws pertaining to registration of sexual predators and sexual offenders. Some of these changes are to more closely align Florida’s registry laws with requirements of the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Major features of the bill include:

  • Requiring sexual predator or sexual offender registration by a parent or guardian convicted of kidnapping, falsely imprisoning, or luring or enticing his or her child if the child is a minor and the offense has a sexual component and making conforming changes to references to these offenses in s. 856.022, F.S. (loitering or prowling by certain offenders in close proximity to children);
  • Clarifying that s. 943.0435, F.S. (the “Romeo and Juliet” statute), applies only to consensual acts and removing sexual battery as a qualifying offense;
  • Clarifying to which court a sexual offender must petition for removal from registration requirements and removing inoperable language regarding calculation of the registration period;
  • Including lewd or lascivious battery upon an elderly or disabled person as an offense that requires sexual offenders to register quarterly and for life;
  • Amending various definitions relevant to registration of certain information, primarily to address omissions, and providing consistency among relevant statutes regarding registration requirements;
  • Expanding the types of information that can be registered or updated through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s online system;
  • Clarifying the appropriate entity to which a sexual predator or sexual offender must report;
  • Modifying reporting requirements for international travel;
  • Requiring sexual predators and sexual offenders taking online courses at Florida higher education institutions to report such information and for institutions of higher education to be notified of such attendance; and
  • Clarifying the obligation to obtain a driver license or identification card.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect October 1, 2016.

Vote: Senate 37-0; House 115-0