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Speakers press legislators to ease registry rules for elderly, veterans and people in long‑term care
Summary
Multiple residents and advocates told the delegation that Florida's sex/offender registry and local residency restrictions cause hardship, particularly for seniors, veterans, and people entering long‑term care. They urged pathways for removal, reduced penalties for paperwork violations, and exemptions for long‑term care settings.
Several speakers at the Orange County legislative delegation hearing described harms from Florida’s sex/offender registry and related local residency rules, arguing the laws impose disproportionate burdens on elderly people, veterans and residents seeking long‑term care.
Susan Geller testified that the registry’s many reporting requirements and rising penalties can produce prison time for paperwork errors; she said the complexity and inconsistency of requirements across jurisdictions causes hardship for aging registrants. Bruce Hossfield urged exemptions for patients in long‑term care and a pathway to remove elderly people from the registry when they no longer pose a public‑safety risk. Michael Hanan, a military veteran, said that some veterans who were convicted decades ago and served their sentences now face denial of access to veterans’ medical facilities and nursing homes because they remain on the registry.
Speakers proposed reducing registry penalties for clerical errors from felonies to misdemeanors, allowing corrections for registry errors before prosecution, and creating administrative processes that consider medical incapacity when compliance is impossible. Other presenters said differing municipal residency restrictions — including restrictions on living near schools or parks — contribute to homelessness among registrants and complicate reentry.
Ending: Those who spoke urged the delegation to explore statutory changes that create removal pathways, narrow residency restrictions, and focus criminal penalties on conduct that endangers public safety rather than on paperwork compliance.
