November 2008 HOA Meeting

The meeting started at 6:00 and present were the HOA Board, property manager, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Detective specializing in Sexual Predators/Offenders and 3 residents. It was a busy meeting with many things discussed. Here is a brief synopsis of the meeting from my perspective as a resident.

The 1st thing that was discussed was the confusion about the meeting time and date. Due to the events of last week the board did not know if there would be a large turnout to discuss the problem of the sex offender and they wanted to get someone from the Sheriffs office to meet with us as well. The time and date did not work and the meeting was canceled. However, on Wednesday, all of a sudden things fell into place and the meeting was back on. The meeting information was posted here as soon as I found out.

After the normal formalities of the meeting, a Detective from the Pinellas County Sheriffs SPOT unit gave a presentation and answered questions regarding the sex offender that moved in across from the school path. The offender has left our neighborhood thanks to the efforts of concerned parents and residents. Once it was discovered that he lived in Woodland Hills word spread like a California wildfire and in the end, he left. However, he still can return at anytime to visit and spend time in our neighborhood and this is why parents and residents must remain aware. Details of his car can be found here.

We also found out that he may have been living in the neighborhood for 2 months before being found out. This means that he could have been here for Halloween! He was arrested and is awaiting trial for his failure to comply with the rules of the program and is awaiting trial, but he has been bonded out and is free to go where he pleases.

Because of this there is a plan to begin and set up a neighborhood watch. If you are interested please visit the information page.

The detective did a tremendous job explaining things to us about the SPOT program and Sex Offenses in general. One thing that stood out in the Deputies comments was that the 1000 foot rule only applies to a predator/offender who are on Sex Offender Probation or were convicted after 2004 of certain crimes.

This is troublesome, why is there a cutoff date? All convicted sex offenders/predators need to be kept away from schools period. There should be no distinction based on the date of conviction. The only way this can change is if people contact their local government officials and complain until they hear you.  The contact information for our area officials is below. Feel free to write, call, email or even visit to tell them how you feel about allowing convicted sex offenders/predators to live near a school.

Also, it was brought up that Florida does not have a tier system to classify risk and severity of the offense. This is another problem with our law that needs to be addressed . For example in Montana the system works like this:

Montana’s Three-Tier System

The Department of Corrections or the sentencing court designates a tier level that assesses the risk each offender poses for committing similar offenses in the future:

• Level 1 Sexual Offenders – the risk of a repeat sexual offense is low
• Level 2 Sexual Offenders – the risk of a repeat sexual offense is moderate
• Level 3 Sexual Offenders – the risk of a repeat sexual offense is high, there is a threat to public safety, and an evaluator believes the offender is a sexually violent predator

The grandfather clause needs to be eliminated, but it probably can’t, and a tier system investigated for future offenses in Florida. These two changes, while simple in concept, could have an impact on the ability of sex offenders/predators to live near  schools and give the officers a better chance in keeping our children safe.

The Detective also did say that the SPOT team was almost cut in half due to budget cuts and Sheriff Coats saved it by finding money elsewhere to keep the unit intact. This is another thing to mention when talking to your State Officials. There are over a thousand people being tracked in Pinellas alone.

Could the laws be changed?

Take the time to call or write now

Florida Representative: Peter Nehr
Website
District Office:
Tarpon Tower-Suite 430
905 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689-4829
Phone: (727) 943-4880

Senator: Mike Fasano
Website
District Office:
8217 Massachusetts Avenue
New Port Richey, FL 34653-3111
(727) 848-5885
fasano.mike.web@flsenate.gov

Congressman Gus Bilirakis
Website
District Office:
35111 U.S. Highway 19 North
Palm Harbor Professional Center
Suite 301
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
Ph: 727-773-2871
Fx: 727-784-6471