TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new bill that’s working its way through the Florida Legislature wants to further limit where sexual offenders may live in the state.
The bill — SB 212 — was filed all the way back in October, and it would require sex offenders to stay away from public swimming pools.
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More specifically, the bill prohibits those convicted of certain sex offenses against children 16 years of age or younger from living within 1,000 feet of a public swimming pool.
These sex offenses include:
- Sexual battery
- Lewd/lascivious battery
- Molestation
- Use/promotion of a child in a sexual performance
- Possession of child pornography
- Lewd/lascivious exhibition using a computer
- Selling/buying minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct
In addition, the bill does all of the following:
- New Crime: Under SB 212, people convicted of the specified sexual offenses may not visit any school, childcare facility, park, public swimming pool, or playground. Violations count as first-degree misdemeanors.
- Warrantless Arrests: The bill lets law enforcement arrest offenders without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe they violated the above rule.
- Pool Employment: The bill requires a government agency to perform a background search to determine sex offender status before employing someone at a public swimming pool.
Current law already prohibits these sorts of sex offenders from living near schools, childcare facilities, parks and playgrounds, though this bill cracks down even harder by banning them from being on the premises outright.
There are also some exceptions laid out in the bill, including for those who are attending religious services, voting or conducting official business in the prohibited areas.
As for what a “public swimming pool” means, the bill defines it as follows:
"A watertight structure of concrete, masonry, or other approved materials which is located either indoors or outdoors, used for bathing or swimming by humans, and filled with a filtered and disinfected water supply, together with buildings, appurtenances, and equipment used in connection therewith.
The term includes a conventional pool, spa-type pool, wading pool, special purpose pool, spray pool, splash pad, or water recreation attraction, to which admission may be gained with or without payment of a fee, regardless of whether entry to the public swimming pool is limited by a gate or other method of controlling access.
The term also includes pools operated by or serving subdivisions, apartments, mobile home parks, or townhouses or any pool operated by a county, city, or municipality which is held open to the public. The term does not include a swimming pool at a private single-family residence, hotels, motels, or recreational vehicle parks or a swimming pool at a facility where the operator prohibits the use of such pool by persons younger than 18 years of age."
Senate Bill 212
The bill was overwhelmingly approved during its second committee hearing on Tuesday. That means it only has one more committee to pass through before it goes to a full Senate vote.
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If the legislation manages to get enough support from lawmakers and the governor, it is slated to take effect on July 1.
As such, the restrictions would also only impact specified sex offenders who are convicted or change their residency on or after July 1.