In a move designed to avoid legal challenges, Palm Beach County commissioners voted this morning to tweak a county law aimed at protecting children from sex offenders.
With a unanimous vote, commissioners changed a requirement that had barred sex offenders from residing within 2,500 feet of places where children gather. The distance was changed to reflect the distance in a state law that bar offenders from residing within to 1,000 feet of schools, day cares and other play areas.
No one from the public spoke at the final public hearing this morning and the commission passed the measure without comment.
County Attorney Denise Nieman recommended the commission tweak the law after a convicted sex offender filed suit against the county in federal court, alleging that he was left homeless because of the residency restrictions.
The county’s rule applies only to unincorporated areas, but many of the county’s cities and towns have their own residency restrictions for sex offenders. ..Source.. by Joe Capozzi
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