County Commission urges state to improve tracking of “transient” sexual offenders

(MIAMI) – The Miami-Dade County Commission on Jan. 22 approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz to ask the state to do a better job of tracking sexual offenders who identify as “transient,” which often makes it difficult to determine their location. 

The resolution urges the Florida Legislature to require sexual offenders and predators to provide a specific address on their driver’s license or identification card and register monthly with law enforcement -- or face third-degree felony charges.

Currently, sexual offenders who identify as homeless of “transient” are only required to indicate their county of residency on their driver’s license or identification card and need to register only twice or four times a year, depending on the category of their offense.

“I thank my colleagues on the Board for supporting this resolution to put pressure on the state to do a better job of keeping track of the whereabouts of sexual offenders, because many sexual offenders are currently circumventing law enforcement oversight by falsely claiming to be homeless when in fact they are not, and this is posing a danger to our children,” Commissioner Diaz said.

A 2012 report by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability (OPPAGA) found that 40 percent of sheriff’s offices reported they had difficulty locating “transient” sexual predators and offenders and that this was a  major impediment to address verification. Commissioner Diaz’s resolution has the support of the Florida Sheriffs Association.

For more information, please contact Commissioner Diaz’s office at 305-599-1200.