[Jacklynn]

My area (34756) -- Clermont Area has about 28 in a 5 mile region.

[glastron_79]

They're all over the place. I just ran a quick search from my zip and there are 88 within a 5 mile radius; though none right "in" in my neighborhood. The closest one is across the avenue and over a few streets.

I passed on a home for sale that I liked because there was an offender across the street.

A former friend moved over near Busch Gardens and has something like 500 in her 5 mile area.

I HATE the fact that some of these offenders live near schools. WHY do the authorities allow this???

[geos]

Why are people so obsessed with sex offenders? How about murderers? Aren't they worse? Shouldn't there be a list? How about violent felons? How about mentally unstable? Should we tatoo an X on their forheads?

[imagardener]

Please don't think that living in an HOA provides safety from sex offenders, it doesn't. Sex offenders aren't all poor and you can't tell who is one just by looking, they look normal, some are married.
Sometime after we were living in our HOA home (Naples) I found the Florida FDLE site and found that the guy down the street was on the list. I contacted the association manager and asked whether owners with children should be alerted. He absolutely ignored my request. Neither the homeowners association nor realtors will tell you, it's up to every person to do their own research.

This time when we were looking for a new home I went on the FDLE site every time I found a home we were considering. Yes SO's are everywhere but you can see where they live and determine your level of security.

I cancelled looking inside a home for sale in Bradenton when I found a young, violent offender half a mile away in a rural location. It was a beautiful spot on the river but no way would I live there.

To the original poster (Kristin) please do your homework on NorthPort, read the newspapers online. Search "Denise Amber Lee" and more recently search "home invasions".
Do your own research and trust your instincts.

We found a wonderful neighborhood but I didn't know anything about my immediate neighbors except that they weren't on the SO list. They could've been murderers, played loud music every night, or be cooking meth in their kitchen. They don't thank God. I considered doing background checks (as crazy as that sounds) but didn't after I had a sit down with the seller and she told me all about them and how great the neighborhood was. I believed her.

I actually was thinking that the SO list should be expanded upon and other violent criminals should be listed also. That won't happen because US law says that after you've served your time you shouldn't be stigmatized. Remember early US days when people were branded with their crime because there was no system to identify criminals and it alerted people about past crimes.

BTW I'm a liberal in most matters except crime and especially where children are involved.

There are many many safe places to live in Florida and good people. There are also a lot of transients, a certain number of kooks and of course criminals. Like the author said "All the nuts roll downhill." and we're at sealevel :-)

[kristin4]

Originally Posted by imagardener

Please don't think that living in an HOA provides safety from sex offenders, it doesn't. Sex offenders aren't all poor and you can't tell who is one just by looking, they look normal, some are married.
Sometime after we were living in our HOA home (Naples) I found the Florida FDLE site and found that the guy down the street was on the list. I contacted the association manager and asked whether owners with children should be alerted. He absolutely ignored my request. Neither the homeowners association nor realtors will tell you, it's up to every person to do their own research.

This time when we were looking for a new home I went on the FDLE site every time I found a home we were considering. Yes SO's are everywhere but you can see where they live and determine your level of security.

I cancelled looking inside a home for sale in Bradenton when I found a young, violent offender half a mile away in a rural location. It was a beautiful spot on the river but no way would I live there.

To the original poster (Kristin) please do your homework on NorthPort, read the newspapers online. Search "Denise Amber Lee" and more recently search "home invasions".
Do your own research and trust your instincts.

We found a wonderful neighborhood but I didn't know anything about my immediate neighbors except that they weren't on the SO list. They could've been murderers, played loud music every night, or be cooking meth in their kitchen. They don't thank God. I considered doing background checks (as crazy as that sounds) but didn't after I had a sit down with the seller and she told me all about them and how great the neighborhood was. I believed her.

I actually was thinking that the SO list should be expanded upon and other violent criminals should be listed also. That won't happen because US law says that after you've served your time you shouldn't be stigmatized. Remember early US days when people were branded with their crime because there was no system to identify criminals and it alerted people about past crimes.

BTW I'm a liberal in most matters except crime and especially where children are involved.

There are many many safe places to live in Florida and good people. There are also a lot of transients, a certain number of kooks and of course criminals. Like the author said "All the nuts roll downhill." and we're at sealevel :-)

Thank you, I agree and will keep looking. Even if we have to we wait a few years. There really is no urgency. Knowing what I know, I couldn't live with myself if we moved and one of my daughters were hurt.

I can not believe the different answers I have received from friends. Some have even told me to move, keep my girls in the backyard and never let them out of my site. Wow! What a wonderful childhood they would remember. I am sure they would really grow to hate Florida. Going from freedom and friends everywhere to lock down because there are bad people that roam the streets or live down the street. I mean, how fair is that! Leave the predators out and notify the public, but lock the children away for safety... Is everyone so closed up, locking their doors, not getting to know their neighbors that they haven't even been able to see how restricted their lives have become? Don't look left or right, just keep your eyes forward and it won't affect them. Sorry to say, it already has affected them, they think it is normal to live locked up in freedom.
There ARE places that are safe in the USA. Predators are NOT everywhere. Home invasions do not happen everywhere. Do people really think that living in a locked up home is the norm? Sad what parts of Florida have become. I would think of this stuff happening in a big city like Philly in Pa , Tampa in Fl, Chicago in IL, but not in a suburban area like North Port. Gosh, it doesn't even have a mall. I grew up in the country, the only thing to fear were snakes and wild animals... Now, you have to fear humans...

[kristin4]

Originally Posted by geos

Why are people so obsessed with sex offenders? How about murderers? Aren't they worse? Shouldn't there be a list? How about violent felons? How about mentally unstable? Should we tatoo an X on their forheads?

Sounds good to me. Instead we allow them on the street, free as a bird to come and go in just about any neighborhood and lock ourselves away for safety.

[mrs1885]

They also have to be a certain distance from a bus stop.

But is it enforced? I lived in our home for over 2 years and found out that a sexual predator moved into the house that had a driveway at the bus stop.

Fact is there is no place to get away from them. It's a matter of how well local law enforcement tracks them. The ones that are listed and you know where they are aren't your problem. It's the ones that have absconded that you need to worry about, and there is no telling if they live across town, next door, or in the woods in your back yard.

[sunrico90]

I understand the fear of having a sexual predator in your community or next door. That is the reality of our current life, yes is scary, but at least you know of their "location". This is not a unique problem for Florida, but the greater risk is the one not on the list and has committed this type of crime but one has come forward.

Again do we really know who lives next door and how we mitigate our risk? The uncertainty is unknown, how do we protect our kids from turning to victims?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

I hope you're not saying under 30 is OK. That is a grown man. And even a 21 year old is messed up who goes after a 14 and younger child, IMO. I am a mother of a boy and he and his friends have no problem identifying children from legal age people. If it were one or two cases of a 17 year old we wouldn't have the national data bases and laws that we have.

Just caught up with this thread. What I was thinking/saying is that a 17 year old and a 19 year old is not nearly as bad, in my eyes, as a 25+ year old person with a young girl.

I've also heard of people being on the sexual offenders list for urinating outside. I'm not sure how that could be possible to make the list for that.
Anyway, bottom line is I live in North Port, have three girls and feel safe. They play outside all of the time and I keep an eye on them. I think that's just part of being a good parent. I've never had any issues.

[hdzup3]

this world is a mess. you could live in a great area with no "known" criminals and have a wacko follow you home from a store or somewhere. i dont think that anywhere in this world is safe and as soon as you think your safe and let your guard down something could happen. its everywhere. and i just think that we can only run so far to hide from it. we all have to pay attention these days.. follow instinct. know where your kids are. even here where i live, its out in the country, my daughter always wants to ride her quad and bike on the trails around our house. she wanders away and we freak and give her the freaked out parent act! we know its just not safe to let a child wander away. and we dont have anyone here that we dont know but there is a state park next to our house and you just never know whos there. ive been on this forum for awhile and i read alot of negetivity. its very scary but i know there is alot of the same things here and sometimes i laugh because its worse here. so i dont get to worried about living in florida.
what about when our girls are older and want to go off with their friends to the mall alone or wherever they want to go... what then, do we follow them? not let them go? keep them under lock and key? im worried for young girls. they also need to be taught how to deal with situations even as small children. be aware of our world. i saw this thing on tv i survived. and this man went into a school. looked like an innocent grandfather, and went crazy on the kids in a kindergarten class with a machete and hurt the principle bad. they said he just looked like a grandfather looking for a child. so we trust that kids are safe in school too. it could be any school. and any situation. we can so easily become affraid to live. its a good idea to research areas but if there is one that is crime free. whos to say that that area cant have something in the future.
i honestly have to say, no i wouldnt move into an area with a sexual predetor near me. but what happens when one comes after i live there?