There is a new theory developing one that has no basis in fact, that lawmakers should enact "no loitering" laws instead of residency restrictions. All this theory is, is a compromise with lawmakers. Reality is, there is no proof whatsoever, that, loitering is a factor in sex offenses or contributes to sexual offending. I would like to see a single study which shows "loitering" contributes to sex offenses.
3-23-2008 Florida:
Down a widely known street, where beautiful houses and inexpensive apartments share a canopy of trees between U.S. 1 and the Indian River, lives a registered sex offender.
And another. And another. And another.
The tiny white bungalows, cottages and trailers at 2664 Pineapple Ave., two miles north from Eau Gallie Boulevard, are home to four registered sex offenders and the last known address for a fifth who fled from house arrest.
No other Brevard County address boasts that many registered sex offenders, according to a FLORIDA TODAY analysis of more than 900 offenders identified by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Web site.
Some addresses show two offenders living in one location, but no single address with such a concentration.
And according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site, 13 sexual offenders live within one mile of that address, including at least one more on Pineapple Avenue. Bobby Joe Helms, who pleaded guilty and served 13 years in prison in the rapes of a dozen women in the Tampa area, resides on U.S. 1 about a mile and a half north of the Pineapple address.
The fact that so many sex offenders chose the Pineapple Avenue address -- Rocky Water Park Cottages -- is no accident. Property managers Ruth and Jack Sauder consider the complex to be a weigh station for those trying to get back on their feet and those who are maybe on the way down.
"I don't have a problem renting to them," Ruth Sauder said. "They are careful to mind their p's and q's and they give me less trouble than the other tenants."
Florida law requires a 1,000-foot buffer between registered sex offenders and schools, day care centers, parks, churches or libraries. Finding that kind of location -- as well as a willing landlord -- can be tricky.
"There are several residential locations in Brevard County where more than one designated sexual offender or predator may currently live," said sheriff's Cmdr. Doug Waller. "This usually occurs through word of mouth after an offender has found a property owner or manager who will rent or lease and the property location does not conflict with any legislative or ordinance mandate."
Options limited
Child safety advocate Kevin Gillick, who publishes a newspaper devoted to the whereabouts of sexual offenders in the county, says seeing registered offenders living close together may not be a bad thing.
"There are probably some advantages as far as monitoring or tracking offenders," Gillick said. "Concentrating the population has been a traditional way of dealing with a despicable segment of society."
Yes, the Ghetto mentality, which society has used for eons. As long as they are over there then that is OK, because then they are not here -whereever the speaker is-. Society then further denies them based on their ghetto address, a subtle way of further punishing them. eAdvocate
Gillick agreed with Waller that housing options are limited for registered sex offenders.
"When people do background checks and credit checks, then there are not many choices for sex offenders," he said. "It's also likely that they are financially destitute."
Sauder said the only offender she has ever turned away was Helms -- known as the Hyde Park serial rapist from Tampa -- just a few months ago.
"The people here are struggling and trying to make it," she said. "I try to look at the person and not the circumstances."
Helms has been forced to move a couple of times. He finally settled at 3735 N. Harbor City Blvd. Sauder said letting Helms move in would have upset too many people in the complex that has 64 housing units.
Buffer zones vary
While state law already limits housing options for offenders, some municipalities have made it tougher by imposing more restrictions.
In South Florida, for example, many cities and at least two counties have raised the buffer-zone requirements from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet. This, according to Lynn University Assistant Professor Jill Levenson, has created a transient and homeless population of sex offenders.
A newly proposed state bill would raise the mandatory buffer zones to 1,500 feet statewide and would supercede the 2,500-foot zones.
"Research shows that sex offender restrictions increase transience, homelessness and instability," Levenson said, adding that a population of homeless sex offenders has taken up residence beneath a bridge in Fort Lauderdale.
What Levenson does like about the bill is another facet that would institute "no loitering zones" around schools, playgrounds and bus stops. She recommends keeping the statewide buffer zone at 1,000 feet and starting the "no loitering" zones.
"Right now a sex offender can hang out in a park all day long," Levenson said. "The loitering bill would restrict daytime activities, instead of where someone sleeps at night." ..more.. by Torres at 242-3649 or jtorres@floridatoday.com.
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