944.607 Notification to Department of Law Enforcement of information on sexual offenders.

FLORIDA STATUTES AND CODES

944.607 Notification to Department of Law Enforcement of information on sexual offenders.

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Sexual offender” means a person who is in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, the department or is in the custody of a private correctional facility:

1. On or after October 1, 1997, as a result of a conviction for committing, or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit, any of the criminal offenses proscribed in the following statutes in this state or similar offenses in another jurisdiction: s. 787.01, s. 787.02, or s. 787.025(2)(c), where the victim is a minor and the defendant is not the victim’s parent or guardian; s. 794.011, excluding s. 794.011(10); s. 794.05; s. 796.03; s. 796.035; s. 800.04; s. 825.1025; s. 827.071; s. 847.0133; s. 847.0135, excluding s. 847.0135(6); s. 847.0137; s. 847.0138; s. 847.0145; or s. 985.701(1); or any similar offense committed in this state which has been redesignated from a former statute number to one of those listed in this paragraph; or

2. Who establishes or maintains a residence in this state and who has not been designated as a sexual predator by a court of this state but who has been designated as a sexual predator, as a sexually violent predator, or by another sexual offender designation in another state or jurisdiction and was, as a result of such designation, subjected to registration or community or public notification, or both, or would be if the person were a resident of that state or jurisdiction, without regard as to whether the person otherwise meets the criteria for registration as a sexual offender.

(b) “Conviction” means a determination of guilt which is the result of a trial or the entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld. Conviction of a similar offense includes, but is not limited to, a conviction by a federal or military tribunal, including courts-martial conducted by the Armed Forces of the United States, and includes a conviction or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere resulting in a sanction in any state of the United States or other jurisdiction. A sanction includes, but is not limited to, a fine; probation; community control; parole; conditional release; control release; or incarceration in a state prison, federal prison, private correctional facility, or local detention facility.

(c) “Institution of higher education” means a career center, community college, college, state university, or independent postsecondary institution.

(d) “Change in enrollment or employment status” means the commencement or termination of enrollment or employment or a change in location of enrollment or employment.

(e) “Electronic mail address” has the same meaning as provided in s. 668.602.

(f) “Instant message name” means an identifier that allows a person to communicate in real time with another person using the Internet.

(2) The clerk of the court of that court which convicted and sentenced the sexual offender for the offense or offenses described in subsection (1) shall forward to the department and the Department of Law Enforcement a certified copy of any order entered by the court imposing any special condition or restriction on the sexual offender which restricts or prohibits access to the victim, if the victim is a minor, or to other minors. The Department of Law Enforcement may include on its Internet site such special conditions or restrictions.

(3) If a sexual offender is not sentenced to a term of imprisonment, the clerk of the court shall ensure that the sexual offender’s fingerprints are taken and forwarded to the Department of Law Enforcement within 48 hours after the court sentences the offender. The fingerprint card shall be clearly marked “Sexual Offender Registration Card.”

(4) A sexual offender, as described in this section, who is under the supervision of the Department of Corrections but is not incarcerated must register with the Department of Corrections within 3 business days after sentencing for a registrable offense and otherwise provide information as required by this subsection.

(a) The sexual offender shall provide his or her name; date of birth; social security number; race; sex; height; weight; hair and eye color; tattoos or other identifying marks; any electronic mail address and any instant message name required to be provided pursuant to s. 943.0435(4)(d); permanent or legal residence and address of temporary residence within the state or out of state while the sexual offender is under supervision in this state, including any rural route address or post office box; if no permanent or temporary address, any transient residence within the state; and address, location or description, and dates of any current or known future temporary residence within the state or out of state. The Department of Corrections shall verify the address of each sexual offender in the manner described in ss. 775.21 and 943.0435. The department shall report to the Department of Law Enforcement any failure by a sexual predator or sexual offender to comply with registration requirements.

(b) If the sexual offender is enrolled, employed, or carrying on a vocation at an institution of higher education in this state, the sexual offender shall provide the name, address, and county of each institution, including each campus attended, and the sexual offender’s enrollment or employment status. Each change in enrollment or employment status shall be reported to the department within 48 hours after the change in status. The Department of Corrections shall promptly notify each institution of the sexual offender’s presence and any change in the sexual offender’s enrollment or employment status.

(5) In addition to notification and transmittal requirements imposed by any other provision of law, the department shall compile information on any sexual offender and provide the information to the Department of Law Enforcement. The information shall be made available electronically to the Department of Law Enforcement as soon as this information is in the department’s database and must be in a format that is compatible with the requirements of the Florida Crime Information Center.

(6) The information provided to the Department of Law Enforcement must include:

(a) The information obtained from the sexual offender under subsection (4);

(b) The sexual offender’s most current address, place of permanent, temporary, or transient residence within the state or out of state, and address, location or description, and dates of any current or known future temporary residence within the state or out of state, while the sexual offender is under supervision in this state, including the name of the county or municipality in which the offender permanently or temporarily resides, or has a transient residence, and address, location or description, and dates of any current or known future temporary residence within the state or out of state, and, if known, the intended place of permanent, temporary, or transient residence, and address, location or description, and dates of any current or known future temporary residence within the state or out of state upon satisfaction of all sanctions;

(d) The location of, and local telephone number for, any Department of Corrections’ office that is responsible for supervising the sexual offender;

(e) An indication of whether the victim of the offense that resulted in the offender’s status as a sexual offender was a minor;

(f) The offense or offenses at conviction which resulted in the determination of the offender’s status as a sex offender; and

(g) A digitized photograph of the sexual offender which must have been taken within 60 days before the offender is released from the custody of the department or a private correctional facility by expiration of sentence under s. 944.275 or must have been taken by January 1, 1998, or within 60 days after the onset of the department’s supervision of any sexual offender who is on probation, community control, conditional release, parole, provisional release, or control release or who is supervised by the department under the Interstate Compact Agreement for Probationers and Parolees. If the sexual offender is in the custody of a private correctional facility, the facility shall take a digitized photograph of the sexual offender within the time period provided in this paragraph and shall provide the photograph to the department.

If any information provided by the department changes during the time the sexual offender is under the department’s control, custody, or supervision, including any change in the offender’s name by reason of marriage or other legal process, the department shall, in a timely manner, update the information and provide it to the Department of Law Enforcement in the manner prescribed in subsection (2).

(7) If the sexual offender is in the custody of a local jail, the custodian of the local jail shall register the offender within 3 business days after intake of the offender for any reason and upon release, and shall forward the information to the Department of Law Enforcement. The custodian of the local jail shall also take a digitized photograph of the sexual offender while the offender remains in custody and shall provide the digitized photograph to the Department of Law Enforcement.

(8) If the sexual offender is under federal supervision, the federal agency responsible for supervising the sexual offender may forward to the Department of Law Enforcement any information regarding the sexual offender which is consistent with the information provided by the department under this section, and may indicate whether use of the information is restricted to law enforcement purposes only or may be used by the Department of Law Enforcement for purposes of public notification.

(9) A sexual offender, as described in this section, who is under the supervision of the Department of Corrections but who is not incarcerated shall, in addition to the registration requirements provided in subsection (4), register and obtain a distinctive driver’s license or identification card in the manner provided in s. 943.0435(3), (4), and (5), unless the sexual offender is a sexual predator, in which case he or she shall register and obtain a distinctive driver’s license or identification card as required under s. 775.21. A sexual offender who fails to comply with the requirements of s. 943.0435 is subject to the penalties provided in s. 943.0435(9).

(10)(a) The failure of a sexual offender to submit to the taking of a digitized photograph, or to otherwise comply with the requirements of this section, is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(b) A sexual offender who commits any act or omission in violation of this section may be prosecuted for the act or omission in the county in which the act or omission was committed, the county of the last registered address of the sexual offender, or the county in which the conviction occurred for the offense or offenses that meet the criteria for designating a person as a sexual offender.

(c) An arrest on charges of failure to register when the offender has been provided and advised of his or her statutory obligations to register under s. 943.0435(2), the service of an information or a complaint for a violation of this section, or an arraignment on charges for a violation of this section constitutes actual notice of the duty to register. A sexual offender’s failure to immediately register as required by this section following such arrest, service, or arraignment constitutes grounds for a subsequent charge of failure to register. A sexual offender charged with the crime of failure to register who asserts, or intends to assert, a lack of notice of the duty to register as a defense to a charge of failure to register shall immediately register as required by this section. A sexual offender who is charged with a subsequent failure to register may not assert the defense of a lack of notice of the duty to register.

(d) Registration following such arrest, service, or arraignment is not a defense and does not relieve the sexual offender of criminal liability for the failure to register.

(11) The department, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, personnel of those departments, and any individual or entity acting at the request or upon the direction of those departments are immune from civil liability for damages for good faith compliance with this section, and shall be presumed to have acted in good faith in compiling, recording, reporting, or providing information. The presumption of good faith is not overcome if technical or clerical errors are made by the department, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Juvenile Justice, personnel of those departments, or any individual or entity acting at the request or upon the direction of those departments in compiling, recording, reporting, or providing information, or, if the information is incomplete or incorrect because the information has not been provided by a person or agency required to provide the information, or because the information was not reported or was falsely reported.

(12) Any person who has reason to believe that a sexual offender is not complying, or has not complied, with the requirements of this section and who, with the intent to assist the sexual offender in eluding a law enforcement agency that is seeking to find the sexual offender to question the sexual offender about, or to arrest the sexual offender for, his or her noncompliance with the requirements of this section:

(a) Withholds information from, or does not notify, the law enforcement agency about the sexual offender’s noncompliance with the requirements of this section, and, if known, the whereabouts of the sexual offender;

(b) Harbors, or attempts to harbor, or assists another person in harboring or attempting to harbor, the sexual offender; or

(c) Conceals or attempts to conceal, or assists another person in concealing or attempting to conceal, the sexual offender; or

(d) Provides information to the law enforcement agency regarding the sexual offender which the person knows to be false information,

commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. This subsection does not apply if the sexual offender is incarcerated in or is in the custody of a state correctional facility, a private correctional facility, a local jail, or a federal correctional facility.

(13)(a) A sexual offender must report in person each year during the month of the sexual offender’s birthday and during the sixth month following the sexual offender’s birth month to the sheriff’s office in the county in which he or she resides or is otherwise located to reregister.

(b) However, a sexual offender who is required to register as a result of a conviction for:

1. Section 787.01 or s. 787.02 where the victim is a minor and the offender is not the victim’s parent or guardian;

2. Section 794.011, excluding s. 794.011(10);

3. Section 800.04(4)(b) where the victim is under 12 years of age or where the court finds sexual activity by the use of force or coercion;

4. Section 800.04(5)(b);

5. Section 800.04(5)(c)1. where the court finds molestation involving unclothed genitals or genital area;

6. Section 800.04(5)c.2. where the court finds molestation involving unclothed genitals or genital area;

7. Section 800.04(5)(d) where the court finds the use of force or coercion and unclothed genitals or genital area;

8. Any attempt or conspiracy to commit such offense; or

9. A violation of a similar law of another jurisdiction,

must reregister each year during the month of the sexual offender’s birthday and every third month thereafter.

(c) The sheriff’s office may determine the appropriate times and days for reporting by the sexual offender, which shall be consistent with the reporting requirements of this subsection. Reregistration shall include any changes to the following information:

1. Name; social security number; age; race; sex; date of birth; height; weight; hair and eye color; address of any permanent residence and address of any current temporary residence, within the state or out of state, including a rural route address and a post office box; if no permanent or temporary address, any transient residence; address, location or description, and dates of any current or known future temporary residence within the state or out of state; any electronic mail address and any instant message name required to be provided pursuant to s. 943.0435(4)(d); date and place of any employment; vehicle make, model, color, and license tag number; fingerprints; and photograph. A post office box shall not be provided in lieu of a physical residential address.

2. If the sexual offender is enrolled, employed, or carrying on a vocation at an institution of higher education in this state, the sexual offender shall also provide to the department the name, address, and county of each institution, including each campus attended, and the sexual offender’s enrollment or employment status.

3. If the sexual offender’s place of residence is a motor vehicle, trailer, mobile home, or manufactured home, as defined in chapter 320, the sexual offender shall also provide the vehicle identification number; the license tag number; the registration number; and a description, including color scheme, of the motor vehicle, trailer, mobile home, or manufactured home. If the sexual offender’s place of residence is a vessel, live-aboard vessel, or houseboat, as defined in chapter 327, the sexual offender shall also provide the hull identification number; the manufacturer’s serial number; the name of the vessel, live-aboard vessel, or houseboat; the registration number; and a description, including color scheme, of the vessel, live-aboard vessel or houseboat.

4. Any sexual offender who fails to report in person as required at the sheriff’s office, or who fails to respond to any address verification correspondence from the department within 3 weeks of the date of the correspondence, or who fails to report electronic mail addresses or instant message names, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(d) The sheriff’s office shall, within 2 working days, electronically submit and update all information provided by the sexual offender to the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner prescribed by that department.

History. s. 9, ch. 97-299; s. 11, ch. 98-81; s. 5, ch. 2000-207; s. 3, ch. 2000-246; s. 6, ch. 2002-58; s. 4, ch. 2004-371; s. 11, ch. 2005-28; s. 5, ch. 2006-200; s. 6, ch. 2006-299; s. 162, ch. 2007-5; s. 12, ch. 2007-143; s. 5, ch. 2007-207; s. 7, ch. 2007-209; s. 5, ch. 2009-194; s. 8, ch. 2010-92.