October 2008

Report No. 08-60

Sex Offender Registration and Public Notification Improved;
Some Aspects of the Process Could Be Streamlined
_____________
at a glance
Background
State efforts to track sex offenders have improved.
The number of absconded sex offenders has declined
and registration and public notification efforts have
been strengthened since our 2006 review.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement could
enhance the efficiency of the sex offender program
by working with local law enforcement agencies to
reduce duplication in sex offender address
verification efforts. FDLE also should post the
Department of Corrections’ most recent sex offender
address verification date on the state sex offender
registry so that local law enforcement agencies can
use this information in their monitoring efforts. The
state also needs better procedures to track homeless
sex offenders.

Scope

_________________

As directed by Ch. 2005-28, Laws of Florida,
OPPAGA reviewed the effectiveness of Florida’s
sexual predator and sex offender registration
process, community and public notification
provisions, and supervision and monitoring of sex
offenders. 1, 2
1

As directed by this law we previously published Florida’s State,
County, Local Authorities Are Implementing Jessica Lunsford Act,

Report No. 06-03, January 2006.
2

“Sex offender” is used in this report as an inclusive term to denote
convicted felons who are sex offenders or predators having
committed certain crimes. Generally, a sexual predator has
committed a more serious or repeat sex crime than a sex offender
and under Florida law, a court must make an official finding that an
offender is a sexual predator.

Nationwide and in Florida, highly publicized sex
crimes committed by repeat offenders have
prompted federal and state lawmakers to enact
laws that increase social and judicial control over
these offenders. Federal law now requires states
to establish registries of persons convicted of
sexually violent offenses or crimes against
children. 3 Certain sex offenders living in the
community are required to notify local law
enforcement agencies of their place of residence,
employment, and enrollment (if a student).
Additionally, convicted sex offenders must verify
their addresses annually for at least 15 years.
Sexually violent predators must verify their
addresses on a quarterly basis for life. Federal law
also requires states to alert the public to released
sex offenders. 4
In Florida, the 2005 Legislature passed the Jessica
Lunsford Act in response to the kidnapping and
murder of a central Florida girl by a registered sex
offender. 5 The act made significant changes to
Florida’s sex offender laws, such as requiring
certain sex offenders to re-register twice a year, in
person, with the sheriff of the county in which
they reside. 6 In 2007, the Legislature further
required sexual predators, juvenile sex offenders
3

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, P.L. 109-248.

4

42 U.S.C. 16921.

5

Chapter 2005-28, Laws of Florida.

6

Sex offenders as defined in s. 943.0435, F.S.; sex offenders under the
custody, control or supervision of the Department of Corrections as
defined in s. 944.607, F.S.; sexual predators as defined in s. 775.21,
F.S.; and juvenile sex offenders as defined in s. 943.0435, F.S.

Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability
an office of the Florida Legislature

OPPAGA Report

Report No. 08-60

adjudicated guilty, and sex offenders convicted of
certain crimes to re-register four times a year, and
required driver’s license and identification cards
issued to all registered sex offenders display
distinctive information on the front to identify these
offenders as sexual offenders or predators. 7, 8

Within 48 hours, law enforcement agencies
must notify licensed child care centers and
schools within a one-mile radius of the
predator’s residence. Additionally, local law
enforcement agencies or the Department of
Corrections, if the predator or offender is on
community supervision, must also notify
institutions of higher learning of a sex
offender’s enrollment or employment at an
institution of higher learning, such as a
community college or state university.

Florida’s monitoring system for sex offenders has
four main components.








The Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
maintains the sex offender registry, which is a
statewide system for collecting and
disseminating sex offender registration
information, such as the offender’s address
and photo and type of sex offense.

The sex offender registry.

Findings

The number of absconded sex offenders has
declined and registration accountability and
public notification have improved since our 2006
report. FDLE could enhance the efficiency of the
sex offender program by working with local law
enforcement agencies to reduce duplication in sex
offender address verification. FDLE also should
post the Department of Corrections’ most recent
sex offender address verification date on the state
sex offender registry so that local law enforcement
agencies can use this information in their
monitoring efforts. Changes also are needed to
better track homeless sex offenders.

Certain sex
offenders who are released from prison or
placed on supervision must register with the
sheriff in the county where they live within 48
hours of establishing a permanent or
temporary residence. All sex offenders
required to register also must obtain a driver’s
license or identification card from the
Department of Highway Safety and Motor
Vehicles within 48 hours of registration and
notify that agency within 48 hours of any
change of address.
Address verification. FDLE verifies addresses
through mailings. The Department of
Corrections and local law enforcement
agencies verify addresses through in-person
contacts at the sex offender’s residence.

Registration requirements.

The number of Florida registered sex
offenders who abscond has declined while
the population has increased
Law enforcement efforts to better track sex
offenders appear successful, as the number of
absconders has declined while the number of
registered sex offenders in Florida has increased.

Community notification. FDLE is responsible
for statewide public notification efforts and
informs the public about sexual predators and
sexual offenders via the internet and a tollfree, nationwide hotline. 9 Local law
enforcement agencies are required to notify
the community and public of the presence of
sexual predators living in the community.

7

This requirement is provided in s. 322.141, F.S.

8

Sexual predators are individuals who have been convicted of
serious or repeated sexual offenses and a written finding of a court
has been issued designating them as sexual predators. Sexual
offenders are defined by Florida statutes based on various
qualifying offenses, such as kidnapping, false imprisonment, and
sexual battery, among others. It is not necessary to have a court
order to be classified as a sexual offender.

9

Chapter 97-299, Laws of Florida.

_______________

Our 2006 report noted that many sex offenders
living in the community had not complied with
registration requirements and 1,259 could not be
located as of November 7, 2005. This problem has
been reduced since that time, although the
number of registered sex offenders has grown.
The number of sex offenders in Florida’s registry
has increased from 36,037 in November 2005 to
48,346 in June 2008. As shown in Exhibit 1, almost
half of these offenders (22,127, or 46%) reside in
Florida communities, while the remainder is
incarcerated or lives out of state. Of the offenders
living in Florida’s communities, 6,995 are subject
to supervision, such as probation, while 14,271
have completed their sentence and are not

2

Report No. 08-60

OPPAGA Report

supervised. While 861 sex offenders could not
currently be located, this represents a substantial
decrease from the 2005 level. (See Appendix A.)

Department of Corrections, or the Department of
Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to ensure
that sex offenders registered as required. FDLE
now coordinates with local law enforcement
agencies to track sex offenders that are newly
released from prison to ensure that the offenders
register as required. (See Appendix B.) Upon
release from prison, an unsupervised sex offender
has five days to secure a residence and 48 hours
from that point to register with the county sheriff.
On the day a sex offender is released from prison,
the Department of Corrections notifies FDLE of
the sex offender’s intended residence address.
FDLE posts the sex offender’s status as
RELEASED on the registry and notifies the sheriff
in the county of the sex offender’s intended
residence.

Exhibit 1
Nearly Half of Sex Offenders Live in the Community
Status
Total Offenders in Registry
Non-Florida Residents
Florida Resident Offenders
Incarcerated/Committed
Living in Community
Absconded
Supervised
Not Supervised

Totals
48,346
(10,941)
37,405
(15,278)
22,127
861
6,995
14,271

Source: OPPAGA analysis of FDLE data as of June 1, 2008. See
Appendix A for a more detailed summary of sex offenders in the
FDLE registry.

If the offender does not register with the sheriff as
expected, FDLE then flags the sex offender as a
possible absconder. The sheriff then attempts to
verify that the sex offender is at the intended
residence. If the sheriff is unable to confirm the
sex offender’s residence, the sheriff notifies FDLE.
FDLE then changes the sex offender’s status to
ACTIVE ABSCONDER and FDLE, the sheriff, and
the U.S. Marshals Service begin to search for the
absconded sex offender.

According to state law enforcement staff, several
factors appear to have contributed to this
reduction in absconded sex offenders.


FDLE created a unit dedicated to identifying
and searching for absconders. This unit
located 2,367 absconders between November
2005 and June 2008.



The Department of Corrections created an
absconder unit and added a section on the
department’s website for the public to send
tips to locate absconders.



Local law enforcement agencies have
increased resources and activity to track sex
offenders.



Law enforcement agencies have greater access
to information from other sex offender
registries and can use federal and state
databases to identify and locate absconders.



The public has responded to community
notification information with tips and location
information about registered sex offenders.

Public notification efforts have improved
Community notification efforts to help members
of the public obtain information to protect itself
from convicted sex offenders have also improved.
Our 2006 report identified several limitations in
public notification efforts that have now been
addressed. Previously, the state sex offender
registry provided limited information on the
nature of the offense and the offender. In
addition, our research found that only two-thirds
of sheriff’s offices’ websites provided links to
FDLE’s sex offender registry on their sites.
As we recommended, FDLE has made registry
information more useful and understandable to
the public. The website now lists the offenders’
statutory convictions, clear descriptions of their
offenses, and the county in which the crime
occurred. The registry also includes a Spanish
language option.
Additionally, FDLE has
expanded its statewide notification capability by
implementing an electronic notification system.
Citizens can sign up for email updates of

Registration accountability deficiencies have
been addressed
Since our 2006 report, state law enforcement
agencies have addressed several deficiencies in
the sex offender registration process.
For
example, previously FDLE did not reconcile its sex
offender registry with records of the courts, the

3

OPPAGA Report

Report No. 08-60

registration details for specific sex offenders or
any sex offenders within geographic areas up to
five miles of a specified address.

Most county sheriffs and city police departments
conduct their own in-person address verifications
of sex offenders as a routine practice to protect
their citizens.
In many counties, the FDLE
mailings are duplicative and have limited utility
as a mechanism to ensure offender accountability.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
reports that about a third of offenders fail to
return the address verification form of which, less
than 5% turn out to be absconders. While failure
to respond is illegal, FDLE and local law
enforcement agencies reported that sex offenders
who fail to respond to FDLE address verification
mailings are not prosecuted.

Local law enforcement agencies also have
strengthened their notification procedures. The
agencies are required to notify the public of the
presence of sexual predators living in their
community, and are using a variety of notification
methods, including the internet, newsletters and
media releases, reverse 911 telephone systems,
door-to-door distribution and mailed or posted
flyers.
More county sheriffs are using the internet to
support public notification efforts. In 2005, 43
county sheriffs’ offices provided a link to FDLE’s
registry on their websites. This has increased to 54
sheriffs. Twenty sheriff’s websites also provide a
list of local sex offenders with photos and
addresses, an increase from 13 in 2005. In total, 58
county sheriffs now display a list of local sex
offenders and/or a link to the FDLE registry on
their websites.

Since most local law enforcement agencies already
routinely conduct address verifications, following
up on FDLE mailings is inefficient, given that few
of the non-compliant offenders are absconders.
Local law enforcement agencies report that most
of the offenders who fail to return the letters are
readily found by their own verification efforts.
Twenty of the 32 law enforcement agencies who
responded to our survey reported that eliminating
FDLE’s mailing process would have no impact on
their address verification efforts. Most of these
agencies do not use the FDLE non-responder list
and find additional follow-up based on FDLE’s
mailing process redundant to local practices.

FDLE should limit verification mailings to
counties that request the information
Florida law requires local law enforcement
agencies, in conjunction with FDLE, to verify the
addresses of sex offenders not under the
supervision of the Department of Corrections in a
manner consistent with federal standards. 10 To
assist in address verification, FDLE sends address
verification letters four times a year to sexual
predators and once a year to sex offenders who
are no longer supervised by the Department of
Corrections. Florida law allows offenders three
weeks to return the address verification form.
FDLE compiles a list of sex offenders who do not
respond or who send the form back with
incomplete or inaccurate responses. It sends the
list to the applicable local law enforcement
agencies to verify, in person, the non-responding
sex offenders’ addresses.
FDLE places sex
offenders who cannot be located on the
“absconded” list and a judge may issue a warrant
for their arrest. FDLE reported that in Fiscal Year
2006-07, the mailings cost approximately $10,800.
10

Florida’s address verification mailing was based
on federal requirements that no longer exist.
Florida law requires that FDLE’s address
verification process conform to any federal
standards the state must meet to receive federal
funds.
The federal Jacob Wetterling Crimes
Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender
Registration Act of 1994 required annual address
verification mailings; however, Florida no longer
receives funding pursuant to this act and is not
bound to follow these requirements. The federal
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of
2006, which supersedes the Wetterling Act, only
requires in-person re-registration and does not
specify any address verification requirements.
It would be more efficient for FDLE to better
coordinate with local law enforcement agencies
and send its address verification mailings only to
those offenders who live in jurisdictions where
local law enforcement agencies request the
information. FDLE could continue to provide the
service to those local law enforcement agencies

Section 943.0435(6), F.S., requires address verification in a manner
consistent with provisions of the federal Adam Walsh Child
Protection and Safety Act of 2006 or any other applicable federal
standards required to be met to receive federal funds.

4

Report No. 08-60

OPPAGA Report

that use the mailing as a filter to prioritize
offenders for address verification.

Homeless sex offenders present significant
oversight challenges for law enforcement.
Homeless sex offenders tend not to report
detailed information on how they can be
contacted, where they stay during the day, or
who helps meet their survival needs. 11
Consequently, law enforcement agencies often
have difficulty finding these persons. Public
notification also is more difficult when a sex
offender does not have a fixed address.

The registry should include the Department of
Corrections’ most recent sex offender
address verification date to assist local law
enforcement with monitoring sex offenders
The FDLE sex offender registry could be
enhanced if the most recent residence verification
date from the Department of Corrections’ records
were included to assist local law enforcement
agencies with monitoring sex offenders. The
Department of Corrections has a significant role in
tracking and monitoring sex offenders. While
local law enforcement agencies perform in-person
address verifications, Department of Corrections’
probation officers make frequent face-to-face, or
personal, contacts with supervised sex offenders
as part of their supervision requirements. For
example, probation officers visit the offender at
his or her residence, employment site, and
treatment provider. When the officer visits the
sex offender at his or her home, the contact is
used to verify the home address. However, this
updated information is not accessible to local law
enforcement because it is not currently available
in the sex offender registry.

Florida’s efforts to track homeless sex offenders
could be improved if two actions were taken.
 The FDLE sex offender registry should permit
law enforcement agencies to designate sex
offenders as homeless.
 Law enforcement agencies should no longer
permit homeless sex offenders to list their
address as “transient”.
The sex offender registry should permit law
enforcement agencies to designate sex offenders
as homeless.
Because the registry is not

configured to allow law enforcement agencies to
designate sex offenders as homeless, most local
law enforcement agencies ask homeless sex
offenders to register addresses that include
homeless shelters, camps, and geographic
locations (i.e., under the Julia Tuttle Bridge in
Miami) as permanent addresses. Consequently,
the registry understates the number of homeless
sex offenders because the entry for these persons
makes it appear that they have a regular, fixed
lodging place.

Including the most recent residence verification
date made by the Department of Corrections in
the registry would improve coordination among
law enforcement agencies and allow county
sheriffs and police departments to put priority on
verifying the addresses of offenders who are not
under Department of Corrections’ supervision.
FDLE reports that posting this information on the
registry is feasible.

The absence of a homeless status indicator on the
registry undermines the state’s efforts to keep an
accurate count of homeless sex offenders for
policy and information purposes. 12 FDLE reports
that it can add a homeless status indicator to the
sex offender registry. Doing so would allow local
law enforcement agencies and FDLE to more
accurately count the number of homeless sex

Monitoring homeless sex offenders continues
to challenge local law enforcement agencies
Sex offenders tend to have difficulty finding
housing. Florida residents have voiced their
objection to sex offenders residing within their
communities and local governments have created
residency restrictions. In addition, although sex
offenders being released from prison may need
housing assistance, transitional housing providers
contracted with the Department of Corrections do
not serve sex offenders.

5

11

Section 420.621(4), F.S., define homeless as an individual, who lacks
a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or an individual
who has a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised shelter
for temporary living accommodations, an institution, or a place not
designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping
accommodation for human beings.

12

OPPAGA asked all county sheriffs to report the number of sex
offenders who met the criteria of the statutory definition of
homeless. Forty-five county sheriffs who responded reported a
total of 277 such persons.

OPPAGA Report

Report No. 08-60

offenders over time to inform public policy
decisions such as residency restrictions.
Additionally, as homeless sex offenders are more
likely to re-offend, a homeless status indicator
would assist local law enforcement to assess the
relative risk an offender poses to the community.

Recommendations

_______

To improve the sex offender monitoring process,
we recommend that the Florida Department of
Law Enforcement take the actions described
below.

Law enforcement agencies should not allow
homeless sex offenders to list their address as
“transient”. Some sheriffs allow homeless sex



offenders to list their address as “transient” and
do not require these persons to provide address or
location information, such as a homeless shelter or
camp, where they can be found. This practice is
problematic for two reasons.
First, sheriffs
reported that they cannot complete address
verifications on individuals listed as transient
because they have no address or location to verify.
As a result, once homeless sex offenders list their
address as “transient”, the sheriff can only wait for
them to return and re-register at the required
time. During the time between re-registrations
(three months for predators, six months for
offenders), the sex offender’s location is
unknown. Law enforcement agencies believe that
some sex offenders purposely list their address as
“transient” to avoid monitoring, even if they do
have a consistent nighttime location.







Second, allowing sex offenders to list their address
as “transient” does not conform to federal
requirements. The Adam Walsh Act requires sex
offenders who lack fixed abodes and meet the
state statutory definition of homeless to provide a
specific description of the place(s) where they
habitually stay. For example, the offender should
specify a park, vacant lot, or street corner where
he or she stays during the day or night, or places
in public buildings, places of worship, restaurants,
or shelters that the sex offender frequents.

Limit its address verification mailing to those
local law enforcement agencies that request it
to eliminate duplication and reduce costs in
this process.
Add Department of Corrections’ most recent
residence verification date to the sex offender
registry to assist local law enforcement
address verification efforts.
Add a status of homeless to the sex offender
registry in order to keep an accurate count of
homeless sex offenders for policy and
information purposes.
Direct local law enforcement agencies to
require homeless sex offenders to list specific
descriptions of the place(s) where they
habitually stay and not list their addresses as
“transient” in the sex offender registry to
better monitor homeless sex offenders and
comply with federal requirements.

Agency Response

________

In accordance with the provisions of s. 11.51(5),

Florida Statutes, a draft of our report was

submitted to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement and the Department of Corrections
for each to review and respond. Both written
responses have been reproduced in Appendix C.

6

Report No. 08-60

OPPAGA Report

Appendix A

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Registry
Lists Over 48,000 Sex Offenders
As shown in the table below, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s registry listed
48,346 offenders as of June 1, 2008. The table shows all sex offenders and predators in the
registry by status categories. The table shows the number of non-Florida residents that are
on the registry and then separates Florida residents into four main categories: absconded
(missing), incarcerated/committed, supervised, and released/not supervised. The table shows
each of these main categories and their subcategories that provide a further detailed
breakdown of the status of registered sexual offenders and predators.

Sex Offenders/Predators
Status
Non-Florida Residence
Florida Residence
Absconded
Probation
Registration
Total Absconded
Incarcerated / Committed
County Incarceration
DJJ Custody 1
Federal Incarceration
ICE Custody
State Incarceration
Jimmy Ryce Commitment
Total Incarcerated/Committed
Supervised
Administrative Probation
Community Control
DJJ Supervision
Federal Supervision
State Supervision
State Parole
Total Supervised
Released / Not Supervised
Released
Revoked
Deported
Reported Deceased
Deceased
Total Released/Not Supervised
Total in Florida
Total on Registry
1

Predators
609

Offenders
10,332

Totals
10,941

34
11
45

436
380
816

861

170
0
6
10
4,343
203
4,732

871
19
78
25
9,203
350
10,546

15,278

4
50
0
0
953
0
1,007

65
370
8
140
5,312
93
5,988

6,995

613
0
0
43
18
674
6,458

13,102
27
5
300
163
13,597
30,947

14,271
37,405
48,346

Juvenile sex offenders who must re-register as required by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

7

OPPAGA Report

Report No. 08-60

Appendix B

Law Enforcement Agencies Take Several Steps to Ensure
That Sex Offenders Register Upon Release from Prison
Sex offender is released from
Department of Corrections
Sheriff physically verifies
sex offender is at
intended residence

Department of Corrections
notifies Florida Department of
Law Enforcement of
intended residence

Florida Department of
Law Enforcement
notifies Sheriff

Sex offender
registers with
County Sheriff?

No, not
verified

Yes,
verified

Sheriff registers
sex offender

Sheriff notifies
Florida Department of
Law Enforcement

No

Yes

Done
Florida Department of
Law Enforcement
changes status to
ACTIVE ABSCONDER

Five days to establish residency
+ Two days (48 hours) to register
= Seven days (maximum)

Florida Department of
Law Enforcement,
Sheriff, and U.S. Marshals
look for absconder

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Department of Corrections.

8

Report No. 08-60

OPPAGA Report

Appendix C

FDLE
Florida Department of
Law Enforcement

Office of Eueuliv. Director
P05l
Boll' 1489
Tallahassee. Flooda 32302·1489

Gerald M Bailey

(8~1410·7001

Comm,,~

w ...wfdle slate," us

CharlJe CnsL Govet'nrx
8la McCollum, An(lm~y Gene<1II
Alex Sink Chler F/fl8llCiai Off.cer
Char\c$ H Bronson. Comm<.woner 01 AgncvnurfJ

October 6, 2008

Mr. Gary VanLandingham, Director
OPPAGA
Room 312, Claude Pepper Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32399·1475
Dear Mr. VanLandingham:
We have received the preliminary findings and recommendations from the following report:

Sex Offender Registration and Public Notification Improved;
Some Aspects of the Process Could Be Streamlined
Our response is offered below:

OPPAGA Recommendation
• Limit address verification mailing to those local law cnforcement agencies that request
it to eliminate duplication and reduce costs in this process.

FDLE disagrees. The costs of implementing, administering and adapting the registry system to
account for this type of flexibility would surpass any potential savings. As an alternative FDLE
will initiate an updated protocol with local law enforcement wherein FDLE will continue to
conduct quarterly mail-outs 10 all appropriate registrants and fo How-up may be at the local
agency's discretion. This will allow for increased flexibility at the local level with no increase in
costs at the state level.

OPPAGA Re~ommendation5
• Add Department of Corrections' probation conta~r data to the sex offender registry Co
assist local law enfor~ement address verification efforts
a~~urate count

•

Add a status of homeless to the sex offender registry in order to kcep an
of home less sex offenders for policy and information purposes.

•

Direct IOCllllllW enforcement agencin to require homeless sex offenders to list specifi~
descriptions of the place(s) where they habitually stay and not list their addresses as
"tran.'lienC" in the sex offender registry to better monitor homeless sex offenders and
comply wltb federal requirements.

&rW;1J • Inlcgnly •

9

Re~fX1C1

• Quality

OPPAGA Report

Report No. 08-60

Mr. Gary VanLandingham, Director
October 6, 2008
Page Two

FDLE disagrees- Funds are not available to implement these recommendations. Each ofthe
recoOllllCndations is feasible and may carry some benefit However, all are dependent upon
adaptations to FDLE systems and, in most cases, will also require system adaptations lor DOC,
DJJ and DHSMV. The costs of the system changes, together with the lack of current funding to
adequately maintain the registry system, renders planning and implementation virtually
impossible.
The recommendations in your audit report are appreciated. If you require further information
please contact me or Inspector General Al Dennis at 410-7225.

GMB/ALD/mc

10

Report No. 08-60

OPPAGA Report

FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT of
CORRECTIONS

Gov<:mor

CHAfl.L1E CklST
S.Cre1''Y
An Equal OPIX"IU1!I1y Employer

WALTER A. McNEIL

2601 Blair Slone Road· Tallahassee. FL 32399-2500

hnp.lfwww.dc.stalc.I1.11S

October 14,2008

Gary R. Vanlandingham, Director
Office of Program Policy & Analysis &
Government Accountability (OPPAGA)
Claude Pepper Building
[11 West Madison Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1475
Dear Director VanLandingham:
Thank you for the opportunity to review OPPAGA's draA. report on 'Sex Offender Registration
and Public Noriflcario1l1mproved; Some Aspects ojthe Process Could Be Slreumlined'. The
Department concurs with the rcconunendations contained in the report regarding uploading the
Department of Corrections' most recent residence verification dale to the sex offender registry.
This information will assist law enforcement verification efforts.
The Department works daily with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FOLE) and local
law enforcement agencies to ensure offenders on community supervision register as required by
Florida Statutes.
The Department welcomes the chance to further work with you and the Legislature on these
important issues.
Sincerely,

(Lift-Richard Pmdom
Chief of Staff

RPIJNlcg

11

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

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

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

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

Visit OPPAGA’s website, the Florida Monitor, at www.oppaga.state.fl.us

OPPAGA supports the Florida Legislature by providing evaluative research and objective analyses to promote government
accountability and the efficient and effective use of public resources. This project was conducted in accordance with applicable
evaluation standards. Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by telephone (850/488-0021), by
FAX (850/487-3804), in person, or by mail (OPPAGA Report Production, Claude Pepper Building, Room 312,
111 W. Madison St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475). Cover photo by Mark Foley.
Project supervised by Marti Harkness (850/487-9233)
Project conducted by Michelle Harrison (850/487-9220) and Steve Lize, Ph.D.
Gary R. VanLandingham, Ph.D., OPPAGA Director