VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Volusia County councilman is advocating for a new online registry to track people convicted of domestic violence. The councilman wants the county to create an ordinance that would establish the database and make registration mandatory.
The idea is that anyone convicted of domestic violence would have to register with the database, similar to a sex offender registry. Then, people could visit the database website to check if someone has a history of domestic violence, especially if they are considering dating or trusting that person with a loved one.
“It happened to a family member of mine where violence existed in the relationship and it caused serious issues - could have obviously been much worse. I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be prudent if this individual had a history we were aware of,’” said Matt Reinhart, Volusia County councilman.
[WATCH BELOW: Daytona Beach police hope to increase presence beachside, along boardwalk]
Reinhart said he does not want to put a time limit or a certain number of convictions on the registry.
“I want it to be serious,” he added.
Tennessee recently became the first state to launch a domestic violence offender registry. In 2022, a Florida senator tried to pass a similar registry, but the proposal died in committee. Reinhart hopes Volusia’s ordinance will encourage Florida to adopt a statewide registry.
The county council voted Thursday to send the proposal to county staff. They will research how the registry could work and present their findings at a future meeting.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood supports the idea, saying it would be a useful tool alongside his deputies’ work on the streets.
“In the past three weeks we’ve had 30 domestic, simple violence cases where we arrested all 30 immediately,” Chitwood said.
Residents have mixed opinions about the registry.
“I think people can’t be too safe dating these days,” resident Robin said.
Others feel convictions may not always tell the full story.
“You can look at bruises and wounds but sometimes that doesn’t tell the entire story,” resident Jerry said.
No date has been set yet for the staff presentation, but it is expected within the next couple of months.
[WATCH BELOW: Family mourns mother killed after falling asleep on motorcycle on I-95 in Volusia County]