Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Sex Offender Registration and Monitoring Triennial Review - 2018

Report 18-08, December 2018




Report Summary

  • Beginning in the early nineties, both federal and Florida law have facilitated oversight of sexual offenders and predators living in Florida communities. Several entities have a role in monitoring sex offenders in Florida, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Department of Corrections (FDC), Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), and local law enforcement. The agencies' various activities include monitoring, registering, verifying, and providing information about sex offenders.
  • FDLE's sex offender registry lists more than 73,000 offenders and predators, of which, just over 28,000 reside in Florida communities. Since 2005, when the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) was first statutorily required to review the registry, the number of registered sexual predators and sex offenders in Florida communities has grown by 53%. Sheriffs' offices monitor all registered sex offenders and are meeting statutory requirements, adopting various strategies to fulfill them. Additionally, FDC supervises offenders sentenced to community supervision and those who have been conditionally released from prison. Also, some sex offenders are conditionally released into the community from the Sexually Violent Predator Program's Florida Civil Commitment Center.
  • Some sex offenders are required to participate in specialized treatment as a term of their community supervision. OPPAGA's review found a wide range of treatment costs as well as cost variability by both provider and geographic area. To help ensure reasonable rates and set standards for treatment quality, FDC entered into contractual agreements with treatment providers throughout its four regions to provide sex offender treatment services. However, many sex offender treatment providers do not operate under the parameters of a contract and are not monitored for quality assurance.
  • Sex offenders in Florida may face barriers to housing including residence restrictions, unwelcoming property managers, lack of affordable housing, and issues with employment and income. Transient offenders continue to present monitoring challenges. While the overall percentage of registered sex offenders living in Florida communities with a transient address is small (6%), some counties have higher than average rates. In addition, barriers to housing have contributed to sex offender enclave communities. Enclaves include apartment complexes, rooming houses, trailer parks, and motels that were established expressly for, or are willing to rent to, sex offenders.
  • There are local variations in emergency shelter access for sex offenders, with most communities designating a specific shelter or area of a shelter for sex offenders. In addition, some communities have ordinances that require sex offenders to self-disclose their registration status at shelters.


Related Reports
  1. Sex Offender Registration and Monitoring Triennial Review - 2021
    Report 21-10 December 2021
  2. Sex Offender Registration and Monitoring: Statewide Requirements, Local Practices, and Monitoring Procedures
    Report 15-16 December 2015
  3. Registered Sex Offenders in Florida Communities Increased to Over 23,000; Transient Offenders Present Challenges
    Report 12-12 December 2012
  4. Sex Offender Registration and Public Notification Improved; Some Aspects of the Process Could Be Streamlined
    Report 08-60 October 2008
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
sex offender, sexual predator, sex offender registration, transient sex offender, residency restrictions, sex offender treatment, emergency evacuation of sex offenders