Georgia

Savannah waterfront 

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

2019 O.C.G.A. §§42-1-12 through 42-1-19

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 140-2-18.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Registration required within 72 hours of establishing a residence or entering the state. §42-1-12(f).  Visitors: registration required if in the state for 14 consecutive days, or for more than 30 days in calendar year.  §42-1-12(e)(7). Per SOR office, residency & presence restrictions applying to visitors are those applying to you in your state of registry. Updated Aug 2022.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Registrants may not reside, loiter, or be employed within 1,000 ft. of child care facility, church, school, or “area where minors congregate” defined to “include all public & private parks & recreation facilities, playgrounds, skating rinks, neighborhood centers, gymnasiums, school bus stops, public libraries, & public & community swimming pools” §42-1-12(3).  Certain employment restrictions apply.  §§42-1-15 through 42-1-17.  It is a misdemeanor to intentionally photograph a minor in Georgia without parental consent.  §42-1-18.

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED. (per Rolfe Survey and confirmed by state registry office).

Duration & updates:

Life.  Sexually Dangerous Predator updates every 6 months.  All others update annually within 72 hours of birthday.

Most recent visit: April 2024

Georgia’s SOR statute states that registrants may not reside, loiter, or be employed within 1,000 ft. of a child care facility, church, school, or “area where minors congregate.”  The term “area where minors congregate” is defined to include “all public & private parks and recreation facilities, playgrounds, skating rinks, neighborhood centers, gymnasiums, school bus stops, public libraries, & public & community swimming pools” §42-1-12(3).  That’s a pretty tough set of rules.  

Downtown Savannah

Furthermore, according to the person I spoke to at the Georgia SOR Office in 2020, these rules apply to visiting registrants even during the 14 consecutive days or 30 aggregate days per year before you have to register in that state. According to that set of rules, you can go to any of the state’s tens of thousands of churches – even historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta – to pray during your visit to Georgia, but you can’t “loiter” within 1000 feet of one!  Suppose you check into a hotel for the night in Georgia, only to discover that it’s within 1000 feet of a child care facility, church, school, or “area where minors congregate?”  Suppose the hotel has a game room?  What then?

The good news is you would also be prohibited from visiting Stone Mountain State Park, Georgia’s now-infamous monument to the Confederacy.

However! When I called back to update my state-by-state research in August 2022 I got a completely different story.  This time the nice lady at the Georgia SOR office said  residency & presence restrictions applying to visitors are those applying to you in your state of registry. By that rule, in my situation I would follow the rules for either Iowa or Florida, depending on which state I had reported my travel from.  

Also, according to the state SOR office, national parks and forests are “out of our jurisdiction,” and there are quite a few of those, especially in northern and central Georgia.  Since most of my cross-country travel plans involve camping overnight at national park or national forest campgrounds, that’s good news for me.

NOTE:  Georgia is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state.  So be extra careful.

In April 2024 my ex-wife but still Best Friend Forever and I were traveling on our way back to Florida from attending a wedding in New Jersey when we decided to stop overnight and spend a little time in Savannah.  We entered Georgia from South Carolina on I-95 and checked into a hotel near Savannah Airport.  Given its location in a primarily airport-industrial area I didn’t worry about either Georgia’s residency or presence rules, or Florida’s.  We just checked in and got some sleep that night.

The next morning I continued to not worry about Georgia’s presence or loitering rules. Instead my BFF and I toured downtown Savannah, checked out the waterfront and tourist commercial district, had lunch at a local restaurant and were on our way, arriving home in Florida in time to have dinner with family.

That’s two partial days in Georgia, far fewer than the 14 consecutive days the state allows.  That’s also a nice morning touring Savannah with my best friend without being excessively paranoid about state rules.

Previous visits: April & Nov. 2022

In November 2022 I visited the North Georgia mountains together with family, coming from Florida.  I did none of the driving on this trip. Instead I was a passenger with my ex-wife while my daughter and grandchildren rode in a separate car.  We stayed for five days at a timeshare.  It was very nice.

Historic Dahlonega, GA

Following the guidance of the Georgia SOR office, I was governed on this trip by the rules that apply to me in Florida. That meant I was able to take my ex to Amicalola State Park and show her Amicalola Falls, which she really liked. She wanted to take the family to supposedly historic Helen which in my opinion is completely ruined by tourism, so I went along with it and pretended I really liked it.  I will say we had lunch at a pretty good German restaurant.  The next day we went to Dahlonega, which I like a lot better. 

On a previous visit in April 2022 I entered Georgia from Tennessee in the morning, enjoying a beautiful mountain drive through Chattahoochee National Forest.  I stopped to see De Soto Falls – very nice. Then I continued to Historic Dahlonega, which at that time I hadn’t been to for long time.

The World of Coca Cola. My advice is skip it.

After a nice lunch in Dahlonega I continued on to Atlanta, where I visited the World of Coca Cola.  That was a mistake.  I was expecting an interesting factory tour like one finds at Pabst in Milwaukee, Jim Beam in Tennessee or Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, but no such luck. The World of Coca Cola sucks.  It’s all advertising and no education. And it’s right next door to the Georgia Aquarium which I’m sure would’ve been a better bet.  Oh well.  

Afterward I had an early supper at the Varsity, Atlanta’s culinary must stop.  Then it was southeast bound to the Lake Sinclair, the southernmost campground in Oconee National Forest, the southernmost national forest in Georgia. Very nice, secluded and has hot showers.  The next morning I made my way southward toward Macon, I-75 and back to Florida.

 West Virginia

Kanawha Falls, West Virginia

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

W. Va. Code 2019  §§15-12-1 through 15-12-10.  W. Va. Code §62-12-26.  W. Va. C.S.R. 81-14-20.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Statute does not disclose initial registration deadline.  Updates to registration info required within 10 business days. §15-12-3.  Incarcerated persons must register within 3 business days of release. §15-12-2.

Any out of state registrant who “is a visitor in this state for more than fifteen continuous days,” or is employed, attends school, or habitually visits property owned or leased in W.Va., “shall register in this state.” §15-12-9.

Procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Certain registrants on supervised release for 10 yrs. or longer may not reside within or loiter within 1,000 ft. of school, child care facility, victim, or victim’s family, with exceptions. §62-12-26.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. §15-12-4.  Updates: SVPs quarterly; others annually. §15-12-10.

Grandview Point at New River Gorge National Park, WV

Most recent visit: April 2024

For registered visitors, West Virginia’s requirements are better than average.  You get 15 days before being required to register, and there appears to be no limit on return visits per month or year.  Also, few if any residency or presence restrictions apply to visitors.  Still, as with many other states you should be careful of local sheriffs and police departments.

The good news is that West Virginia is every bit the spectacular vacationland that it advertises itself to be, and you’re allowed to go anywhere and see all of it.  I returned to West Virginia in April 2024 and for the third time my main destination was New River Gorge, America’s newest national park (it was previously a “national scenic river”).  This time I was bringing my ex-wife but still Best Friend Forever to see it for her first time.

New River Gorge Bridge as seen from the bottom of the gorge

The New River Gorge Bridge is very impressive and the Fayette Station Road Tour under the bridge is incredible.  Some years ago I saw a documentary about the Thurmond Historic District on TV (Smithsonian Channel I think) and for me it absolutely lived up to its advance billing. My BFF hated it mainly because the road leading in is pretty treacherous.  Then there is Grandview, which she really loved and couldn’t possibly be more aptly named.

The day before New River Gorge my BFF and I had stopped at Harper’s Ferry Nat. Historic Park, which is also in West Virginia.  So that partial day was Day 1 of our trip to WV.  On Day 2 we re-entered the state, visited New River Gorge, and stayed overnight at a hotel.  Day 3 we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then headed south out of state.  All well within WV’s 15 day limit and with no concerns about residency or presence laws.

Previous visits: May 2023 & June 2022

Before spending a delightful evening at a Beech Fork State Park campground in June 2022 I stopped at a nearby I-64 Welcome Center and picked up a bunch of brochures for historic homes, caverns, “coal heritage” tours, Green Bank Observatory, historic train rides – the list goes on.  

Having just one day before needing to head for the NARSOL National Conference in June 2022 I chose to spend most of it at New River Gorge, which I described above.  However, on that visit my last stop at New River Gorge was Sandstone Falls, which turned out to be the park’s only disappointment.  There is a fairly accessible overlook, but it’s pretty darned far from the falls, and even from that distance you can see that Sandstone Falls are not impressive enough to be worth the rest of the trip to the closer viewpoint.

In May 2023 I had one day and one night to devote to West Virginia. I went back to New River Gorge National Park but just checked out a few highlights before using my collection of brochures from the year before to find Lost World Caverns in the town of Lewisburg.  Any reader here knows I’m a sucker for a cavern tour.

Lost World Caverns

From Lewisburg I drove north through scenic Monongahela National Forest until I found Seneca Shadows Campground, recently renovated with modern amenities. The next morning I lingered long enough to check out nearby Seneca Rocks, then continued through Monongahela Nat. Forest until I left the state on my way to Pennsylvania.

Everything else would have to wait until next time.  But since registered visitors can be in this state for up to 15 days, there definitely will be a next time.

 New Jersey

I love New Jersey's train system!

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

N.J. Stat. 2019 §§2C:7-1 through 2C:7-23

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

10 days for initial registration; updates to address due 10 days prior to move; updates to employment and school enrollment within 5 days.  Statute only applies to residents, students, and non-resident employees. 

Visitors: Residence is apparently established by presence in the state for 10 days. §2C:7-2c.(3).

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition to remove – 15 years, exceptions. §2C:7-2f. Updates for “compulsive or repeat” offenders quarterly; others annually, §2C:7-2

 Most recent visit: April 2024

Latin Jazzercise on the Jersey City riverfront.

For a registered visitor, New Jersey is a pretty easy state to get along with.  As with a number of other states, its statutes don’t specifically address visitors.  However, you should assume that the same ten day registration grace period that applies to new residents applies to visitors too.  There appears to be no limit on return visits per month or year. Beyond that there are no statewide residency separation or presence requirements, although you should be careful about any local rules that might apply to you.  

It so happens that I travel to New Jersey at least once per year because I was born and raised in the sprawling suburbs of the Garden State and still have family there. Most states’ registry procedures require your local sheriff’s department to report your “temporary address” and dates of travel to your own state’s SOR office, who will then send that info to the SOR office of the state you’re going to.  

Then it’s that state’s (in this case New Jersey) SOR office’s responsibility to pass the word along.  Whether any of that actually happens I have no idea.  I always adhere to my travel schedule and show up at the temporary address I have provided to my local sheriff’s department on the day I said I would, but I don’t go report to the local police, nor have they ever shown up anywhere I’ve ever gone to check on me.

In May 2023 a somber occasion brought me back to New Jersey.  My eldest brother died the previous fall and my sister-in-law decided to hold off his interment and celebration of life until spring when the weather would be nice.  It was therefore her home address that I reported as my “temporary address” to my local sheriff’s department – this time in Iowa but in the past it’s been in Florida.  

My brother & sister-in-law’s farm abuts a state park.  If it was in Florida I wouldn’t be allowed to stay there because I can’t “reside” within 1000 feet of a state or local park (as measured from property line to property line).  But Florida’s rules – and whatever rules apply to you in your home state – no longer apply as soon as you cross the state line.  New Jersey has no such restriction so you can stay wherever you want.

Portuguese Bakery in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood. Yummmmmm!

Whenever I come to New Jersey I like to make at least one side trip and have some fun.  This time I went to Newark where I spent my college years (Rutgers-Newark) just to see how it’s doing.  The answer is that Newark has come a long way since the dark days of the 1970’s and now has much to offer any visitor.  Whenever I go to Newark I especially like to head for the Ironbound neighborhood (a.k.a. “Down Neck”) and have lunch at a Portuguese (or on this occasion Brazilian) restaurant, followed up by a drool-worthy stop at a Portuguese bakery. Yum! 

As any reader of my travel blogs knows, I’m a sucker for a train ride.  New Jersey has some of the best rail transit in the U.S.  I grew up only a couple of blocks from a commuter rail line, all the kids in the neighborhood played at the railroad tracks, and I became a railroad geek at an early age.  Did you know that you can walk up to the ticket vending kiosk at any rail station in the New York metro area and buy a ticket to any other rail station? So you can buy a ticket from Port Jervis, NY to Atlantic City, or Philadelphia, or Islip, LI.

In April 2024 I traveled with my now ex-wife but still Best Friend Forever to attend a wedding in New Jersey, but with a side trip to Long Island to check in on relatives.  In the way back to the Garden State I enticed my BFF to stop at Liberty State Park in Jersey City to see its commanding view of the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Science Center (very nice!).  

Then I managed to get her onto the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to see the New Jersey riverfront in Hoboken and Jersey City.  Yes they are amazing places that have spectacular front row seat views of Lower Manhattan.  We got off the light rail at Exchange Place to take in that view.  My BFF was so impressed she insisted on going for a walk along the riverfront to see more, especially the 9-11 memorials.  It was a sunny morning and there was a Latin Jazzercise class going on one of Jersey City’s riverfront boardwalk plazas.  My BFF said, “I’m always glad I go with you to these places – This is great!”

New Jersey, the land of my birth, “The Crossroads of the Revolution,” is a great place to visit.

 Florida Update #3 - A legislative and judicial update

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Fla. Stat. 2019; Fla. Stat. §§775.21, 775.215; Fla. Stat. §§943.043 through 943.0435; Fla. Stat. §§944.606 through 944.607;  Fla. Stat. §947.1405, §985.481

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residence” means either (1) a place where one spends 3 or more consecutive days, (2) a place where one spends 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or (3) a county in which one is present for 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  In all cases, 3rd day triggers registry obligation.

Registrants must appear to register with law enforcement w/in 48 hours of establishing a residence, and must appear to provide any updates within 48 hours.

Transient registrants update every 30 days.

NOTE: "Day" will now be defined in Florida's SOR law to mean "any part of a day" except that your day of arrival doesn't count. Updated 3/2024.

Registrants must also appear to register with the driver’s license office of the FL DMV within 48 hours of registration to obtain a driver’s license or ID card labeled either “SEXUAL PREDATOR” or “943.0435, F.S.”

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  May not reside within 1,000 ft. of school, child care facility, park, or playground under certain circumstances. §775.215.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements upwards of 3000 feet.

Presence restriction: Registrants with conviction involving a minor cannot be within 300 feet “of place where children are congregating,” and face restrictions on ability to be present in schools and parks.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements.  Fla. Stat. §856.022

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime.  Petition: 25 years.  “Predators” and certain others update quarterly.  All others update every 6 months

Florida’s restrictions on registrants are particularly onerous and should be carefully consulted before visiting the state. 

Every major national or state registrant advocacy group – including NARSOL, ACSOL, Florida Action Committee (FAC) – strongly recommends that you avoid visiting Florida if at all possible.  To this I add my own voice.  Florida’s registry is lifetime for all offenses, no matter how minor.  Florida has no tiered registry – only “sex offenders” and “sexual predators.”  Furthermore, Florida is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state. 

Because of that, of the about 75,000 Florida registrants less than 30,000 actually live in Florida (not counting incarcerated registrants)! All the rest – which is to say the majority of Florida registrants – DO NOT actually live in Florida. Because I recently moved my primary residence to Iowa, I am now included in that number.

A slight improvement for visitors in the definition of the word "day"

Every year the Florida legislature meets, seemingly with the objective of pursuing culture wars instead of solving our state’s many problems.  This year, with LGBTQ rights, library books, voting rights, DEI studies and abortion all on the chopping block, it should not be surprising that an FDLE-sponsored “registry clarifications” bill sailed through to approval despite FAC’s best efforts.

The most egregious part of this bill is the so-called “clarification” that, oh, actually, when our law says that EVERY paperwork error made by a registrant is a felony, whether intentional or not … it actually means that every occasion that you fail to correct that paperwork error – or even every day that you fail to correct that paperwork error because you don’t even know it’s there – can be charged as a SEPARATE COUNT when they arrest you, with each count being punishable by up to 5 years in prison. 

This is just another example of why every state and national advocacy organization urges you NOT to visit Florida so that you will never find yourself running afoul of our cruel and unconstitutional registry.

However … if you find that you must visit Florida for whatever reason, these FDLE “clarifications” have a small silver lining for you.  In the course of “clarifying” that – as I have been warning my readers about Florida and most other states – partial days really do count towards your allowable three days aggregate per calendar year (where the third day triggers your obligation to register), now FDLE has “clarified” that actually, your day of arrival does NOT count toward your three day total.

So what does this mean for visitors?  Previously, because we registered travelers must always assume that partial days always count and the third day in Florida always triggers your obligation to register, that meant visitors really only get two partial days – the partial day when you arrive, and the very next partial day when you must leave because any third day per calendar year would trigger your obligation to register.

FDLE’s new “clarification” says that your day of arrival in Florida actually does not count toward the three days aggregate per calendar year.  Only if you stay overnight will the following morning start Day 1 of your visit.

In practice this means registered visitors get an additional precious day to wallow in Florida’s beauty before hurrying out of state by the end of Day 2 so as to avoid being here for any part of a third day.

Another “clarification” which unfortunately wasn’t in the bill but has been provided in response to FAC questions is that repeated visits to a given location – like your ailing mom’s house, or in my case my ex-wife and family – DO NOT count toward the three day total unless and until you stay overnight. Otherwise you can visit as much as you like.

Another consequence that might interest a small number of people is that out-of-state registrants who may have either one time or daily business in Florida but do not stay overnight can do so without fear of triggering a requirement to register in Florida.  For example, suppose you are a construction worker living in Valdosta and you get assigned to a job building a Hardee’s just over the state line in Lake City.  As long as you never have to spend the night in Florida you’ll never start the time clock toward a requirement to register.

One last interesting factoid about non-resident employment in Florida:  Many states SOR laws include a separate duty to register if you enter the state for employment purposes for more than some specified number of days but don’t “reside” in-state.  Well guess what?  Florida does not!  Therefore, according to this new “clarification,” if it takes longer than anybody thought to build that new Lake City Hardee’s – and even if you then get a gig building tract homes in Live Oak or Jacksonville – you can enter the state every workday without fear as long as you skedaddle when each day is done and !!NEVER!! stay overnight.

Judge calls Florida SOR law idiotic

Well … not exactly …

But there is this from the Florida Action Committee website:

Mar 27, 2024

On March 25, 2024, Federal District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, of the Northern District of Florida, ruled that the requirement under Section 943.0435(4)(a) that people registered as sex offenders report in-person travel within the state of Florida to the FDHSMV [Florida’s DMV] violates substantive due process, and is thus unconstitutional. His order declared that this requirement is irrational and very burdensome for registrants. His order makes clear that the requirement under Section 943.0435(4)(a) to make an in-person report within 48 hours to the FDHSMV applies only to a change of home address (where one lives), and not to a temporary in-state residence. For in-state temporary residences, instead of going in-person to the DHSMV, people registered as sex offenders must report only to the sheriff’s office. Furthermore, they will be able to do so online, not in person. The order directed FDLE to make online access for in-state travel reporting available within 60 days.

It is unclear from the order if in-state travel reporting is required, not only after establishing the temporary residence, but also upon return from the temporary residence. We will seek clarification of this point.

Please be aware that the order does NOT change the requirement under Section 943.0435(7) that registrants report in-person at least 48 hours before establishing an out-of-state residence. Judge Hinkle’s order makes clear that out-of-state travel is governed only by subsection (7) of Section 943.0435, and not subsection (4)(a). Because subsection 7 is silent about reporting upon return from out-of-state travel, it appears that return reporting from out-of-state is not required.

 North Carolina

Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway near Ashville

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

N.C. Gen. Stat. 2019 Art. 27A, §§14-208.5 through 14-208.45

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial reg. and updates.  §§14-207, 14-208.9. New residents: w/in 3 business days of establishing residence, or whenever present in the state for 15 days, whichever comes first (“residence” not defined). §14-208.7.  “Employed” means more than 14 days or more than 30 days in a calendar year.  §14-208.6

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 1,000 ft. of school or child care center, with exceptions.  §14-208.16.  NC law includes a very expansive definition of “child care” that includes e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs. §110-86. However, “school” does not include “institutions of higher education” or “home schools” as defined in §115C-563.

Presence restrictions:  For offenses involving a victim under 16 and other offenses, may not be present on “place intended primarily for the use, care, or supervision of minors,” or w/in 300 ft. of such a place if it is located on another property such as a mall. Also may not be present “where minors gather regularly for scheduled educational, recreational, or social programs.”  Various exceptions for parents on school business, or in need of medical care. §14-208.18.  

Duration & updates:

30 years to life. Petition to remove – 10 years. Tier III updates every 90 days; all others every six months. §§14-208.7A, 14-209A

North Carolina Arboretum, Ashville

Most recent visit: March 2024

North North Carolina has a lot of onerous residence and presence restrictions which you should be concerned about.  However, according to state law (§14-208.16) these restrictions apply to “an offender who is required to register,” and therefore apparently not to a visitor who is not required to register because you’re in the state for less than 15 days.

Just to be safe, however, I would certainly suggest staying away from schools, child care centers and “places where minors gather regularly.”  You can, however, attend your college reunion because “institutions of higher education” are excluded by definition from the term “school.”

On a previous trip through North Carolina I traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is administered by the National Parks Service which makes it a park.  That was no problem in North Carolina because they have no law against registered people visiting parks, whether local, state or national parks.  You can also visit Smokey Mountains National Park, national forests or any state park in North Carolina without fear.  You can also visit historic sites, museums and monuments of which the state has many.

In March 2024 I joined my family for their Spring Break vacation in the mountains of North Carolina.  They came from Florida.  I came from Iowa, but afterwards traveled with my family to Florida, all of which I properly reported at my local Iowa sheriff’s department as a 6 1/2 week trip with multiple destinations in multiple states.  I even told them that in the middle of this trip I’d be inserting another trip with my ex from Florida to New Jersey and back before returning to Iowa. 

The view from Chimney Rock State Park, NC

Iowa had no problem entering this level of travel complexity into my registry sheet – which just goes to show that you shouldn’t worry about complex travel plans.  I like to think that having my sheet with the answers to any suspicious police officer’s questions sitting right in my glove compartment protects me during my travels.

During my NC family vacation we visited the usual attractions – museums, quaint small towns, Chimney Rock State Park, drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at the Folk Art Center, etc.  We arrived on Monday and left on Friday, so even including partial days that makes five days, well within the 14 days allowed by North Carolina without triggering an obligation to register.

In June 2022 on my way to the NARSOL National Conference in Raleigh I entered North Carolina from Virginia on I-77, stopping at the Welcome Station to pick up a few brochures.  This was pretty close to Mt. Airy which is very touristy and bills itself as the home of TV’s Mayberry RFD.  I skipped that in favor of the authentic historic town of Bethania, just outside Winston-Salem.  It’s the real thing, folks.  After grabbing some lunch and moving on to Raleigh I visited the NC Museum of Natural Sciences which was having a special exhibition called “Life Before Dinosaurs: The Permian Monsters.”  I’m such a sucker for that kind of stuff!

But then it was time to head for the conference hotel and settle in for the NARSOL conference which was great and informative! Three days later I was on my way to a Pisgah National Forest campground near the entrance to Great Smokey Mtns. National Park, which I decided to report on in a separate blog post because more than half of it is in Tennessee.

 In-state Florida travel for Florida registrants: My secret mission to attend a funeral in enemy territory

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Fla. Stat. 2019; Fla. Stat. §§775.21, 775.215; Fla. Stat. §§943.043 through 943.0435; Fla. Stat. §§944.606 through 944.607;  Fla. Stat. §947.1405, §985.481

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residence” means either (1) a place where one spends 3 or more consecutive days, (2) a place where one spends 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or (3) a county in which one is present for 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  In all cases, 3rd day triggers registry obligation.

Registrants must appear to register with law enforcement w/in 48 hours of establishing a residence, and must appear to provide any updates within 48 hours.

Transient registrants update every 30 days.

NOTE: "Day" will now be defined in Florida's SOR law to mean "any part of a day" except that your day of arrival doesn't count. Updated 3/2024.

Registrants must also appear to register with the driver’s license office of the FL DMV within 48 hours of registration to obtain a driver’s license or ID card labeled either “SEXUAL PREDATOR” or “943.0435, F.S.”

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  May not reside within 1,000 ft. of school, child care facility, park, or playground under certain circumstances. §775.215.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements upwards of 3000 feet.

Presence restriction: Registrants with conviction involving a minor cannot be within 300 feet “of place where children are congregating,” and face restrictions on ability to be present in schools and parks.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements.  Fla. Stat. §856.022

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime.  Petition: 25 years.  “Predators” and certain others update quarterly.  All others update every 6 months

Florida’s restrictions on registrants are particularly onerous and should be carefully consulted before visiting the state. 

Every major national or state registrant advocacy group – including NARSOL, ACSOL, Florida Action Committee (FAC) – strongly recommends that you avoid visiting Florida if at all possible.  To this I add my own voice.  Florida’s registry is lifetime for all offenses, no matter how minor.  Florida has no tiered registry – only “sex offenders” and “sexual predators.”  Furthermore, Florida is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state. 

Because of that, of the about 75,000 Florida registrants less than 30,000 actually live in Florida (not counting incarcerated registrants)! All the rest – which is to say the majority of Florida registrants – DO NOT actually live in Florida. Because I recently moved my primary residence to Iowa, I am now included in that number.

However … as with any other state, once you are registered here the deed is done and you are “free” to come and go without suffering and further consequences – as long as you are careful not to run afoul of any of Florida’s many cruel and clearly unconstitutional registration laws.  This is the story of how I snuck into one county’s infamous “exclusion zones” to attend a funeral.

My secret mission to Brevard County

On January 28, 2024 the scourge of gun violence came to Brevard County, Florida in a mass murder of the kind that has become so common in America that this one made nary a blip on anybody’s radar screen.  The previous evening a retired Catholic priest allowed a troubled young man whom he had been counseling for several years to stay overnight at his house. 

The next morning that troubled young man murdered his priest, and the priest’s sister, in a gruesome and senseless shooting.  He then stole the priest’s car, drove it to his own grandfather’s birthday party and shot him to death.  Some other party-goers were injured in that incident.  When the police showed up more shooting broke out, at least one officer was wounded and the troubled young man was shot to death.  The police noticed that the car was stolen and traced it back to the priest, went to his house and found the two bodies.

It so happens that retired Catholic priest was my family’s parish priest for the entire time we raised our kids in Orlando.  I myself am not religious but my (now ex-) wife and children are and they were all exceptionally close to their priest and regarded him as a true mentor.  I also held him in high regard. 

So from the moment I learned of his death it was clear that I and my family would be attending a funeral in Brevard County.  A big deal funeral at the largest Catholic church in the county, located on a giant campus along with a K-12 Catholic school, daycare and after-school care center, etc.  In other words, the usual list of places that, in Brevard County, I am not even allowed to “be present” within 1000 feet of.

My attendance at this funeral was mandatory.  More than that, I truly wanted to go and honor the life of a man I held in high esteem.  But doing so meant violating Brevard County’s draconian, clearly unconstitutional and frankly un-Christian “presence” rules. 

Question:  Should I tell my family – or anybody else – about this problem ahead of time?

Answer:  No.  My family was under enough stress as it was.  I didn’t want to burden them with my problem.  They might even urge me not to go, a sentiment which I was in no mood to hear.

I also knew I was under no obligation to report this foray into enemy territory to my local sheriff’s department in Orlando.  The trip was too brief to require "reporting travel."  The funeral was less than an hour’s drive from my house.  I’d be in and out of Brevard County in about three hours – even with a stop for lunch at a BBQ restaurant almost across the street from the Catholic school campus which meant I wasn’t allowed to be “present” there either.  I certainly wouldn’t be there overnight.

The biggest risk was that something might happen that could expose me to arrest while I was in the wrong place at the right time.  I judged that risk to be small, so on the day of the funeral I just got in my car and went.  My foray into enemy territory must’ve gone well because here I am writing about it.

When I am asked to speak on domestic travel or set up my travel information table at a conference or event, I meet registered people who say some version of “The entire travel reporting system is a violation of my rights and I refuse to cooperate with it.  I travel when I want, where I want.”  I respond by saying I agree completely with that sentiment but my job is to advise you how to travel safely.

To all of you with whom I have had this exchange … you’ll be happy to know that when push came to shove I followed your way, not mine.  If Brevard County wants to arrest me for the crime of attending the funeral of my family’s pastor who was murdered by my state’s abject failure to keep guns out of the hands of a troubled young man, let them come.  I will humiliate them in court.

 Iowa

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Iowa Code 2019  §§692A.101 through 692A.130.  441 I.A.C. §103.3(692A)  661 I.A.C. §§83.1(692A) through 83.5 (692A)

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

5 business days for initial registration, updates, and visitors who enter the state. §§692A.104, 692A.105.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restrictions: Registrants with convictions involving minors for “aggravated sexual abuse” in the 1st or 2nd degree, or in the 3rd degree except for a conviction under I.C. §709.4(2)(c)(4), may not reside w/in 2,000 ft. of daycare center.

Presence restriction:  Registrants with convictions involving minors may not loiter within 300 ft. of, or be present at, any school, day care center, public library, or any place intended primarily for the use of minors, unless certain permissions are obtained.  No registrant may loiter, volunteer, or be employed at residence facility for dependent adults.

Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements.  §692A.127.

Procedure for removal from registry after departure is set forth in §692A.106.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life.  Updates depend on tier level: TI – annually, TII – every 6 mo. TIII – quarterly. §§692A.104

Local Amish-made foods purchased at an Iowa small town festival

January 2024 – Traveling to my “primary residence” state as a visitor

Iowa allows five business days for initial registration, updates, and visitors who enter the state. That’s a fairly short time period. However, there appears to be no limit per month or year.

While in-state as a visitor you may need to be a little careful if your offense involved a minor because if so you may not loiter within 300 ft. of, or be present at a school, day care center, public library, or any place intended primarily for the use of minors, unless certain permissions are obtained.  No registrant may loiter, volunteer, or be employed at residence facility for dependent adults.

Here’s a piece of good news: Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements.  §692A.127.  Therefore, wherever you go in Iowa at least you know what the rules are.

Also, you may have noticed that there is no prohibition against being at or loitering near a public park, museum, or historic site – unless of course it includes a “place intended primarily for the use of minors,” like a playground, in which case you just need to stay 300 feet away from that place. Outside Iowa City there is a shopping mall that includes the Iowa Children’s Museum.  The food court is right next door.  If you ever find yourself in this shopping mall, you can’t go to the children’s museum or loiter within 300 feet of it, but the rest of the mall is okay and no one has ever accused me of "loitering" just because I had lunch at the food court.

So you may be wondering – why I would want to leave the warmth of Florida and travel to Iowa in January in the middle of a blizzard and below zero temperatures?  Also, for those of you who, like me, have moved away from the state where you offended, are there any lessons to be learned from my experience traveling as a visitor to my new “primary residence” state?  Did I have to “check in” even though I was there for fewer than five business days? etc.

As to the first question, it turns out that there is an interesting difference between Florida and Iowa (aside from the obvious weather difference).  Florida doesn’t let anyone with a prior sexual offense vote, whereas Iowa does.  And as I always say, no one can appreciate their right to vote more than someone who’s had that right taken away.  One of my first acts as an Iowan was to register to vote.

Furthermore, as a Iowa voter I am eligible to do something very few Americans can do, which is to participate in the Iowa Caucuses.  And another thing I am fond of saying is that my recent life experience has brought me to a point where if there is something I am allowed to do – that the cops can’t stop me from doing – that is a thing I will definitely do. 

So a couple of months before the caucuses I booked non-refundable plane reservations from Orlando to Eastern Iowa Airport (lay-over in Chicago), departing Friday January 12 and returning Tuesday the 16th.  Because Monday Jan. 15 was a holiday, I would be in Iowa for only two partial business days, far fewer than the five business days that would have triggered an obligation on my part to “check in” at my local sheriff’s department.  Instead, all I needed to do was report my travel as required by the state of Florida, where I was traveling from.

My neighborhood near Iowa City after the January 2024 blizzard.

Temperature at the time: -10 F

Little did I know that when the time came for me to go to Iowa it would be in the middle of a blizzard with a foot of snow on the ground, drifts blowing everywhere and temperatures below zero.  My Friday flights were canceled and I got rebooked onto the same flights the following day – with one big difference, to wit my 1:00 flight from Chicago was stand-by and they booked me on a back-up flight that didn’t leave Chicago until 7:00 pm.

So here’s a question:  I told Florida I was definitely leaving on Friday, but I didn’t do that.  I left on Saturday instead.  Was I required to go back down to the Orange County sheriff’s department and redo my travel report?  Answer – I couldn’t do it anyway because the sheriff’s department was closed for the holiday weekend and Florida requires this change to be reported in person.  So I just did everything I could to get myself to my travel destination as fast as possible.

Sure enough I didn’t get on the 1:00 flight, which meant my Cedar Rapids car rental crashed.  The airline offered to re-book me to a 2:15 flight to Moline IL, which is “sort of” close to Iowa City, so I gave up my 7:00 ticket.  Unfortunately that flight was unable to land in Moline and got re-directed right back to Chicago!  So at 6:00 pm I rented a car in Chicago and set out for Iowa City in a blinding blizzard.

Wow that was scary!  When I arrived at my home it was midnight and -15 degrees.  But now I want to point out that by crossing the Iowa state line at about 10:30 pm I had spent less than one day in Illinois and had not spent the night there.  In doing so I had avoided using up any of my precious allowable three days per calendar year in Illinois (see my Illinois blog).  I certainly didn’t want to do that in the first month of the 2024 calendar year!

Also, by arriving in Iowa late Saturday night instead of Friday afternoon I would now be there only one partial business day – Tuesday – when I’d have to get back on the road at 7:00 am (temperature -13) if I had any hope of returning the rental car in Chicago at noon.  I’d be out of state before my Iowa sheriff’s department even opened that day.  I also had to totally blow off my non-refundable flight from Cedar Rapids.

Now I will say a few words about the Iowa Caucuses, my reason for spending hundreds of dollars to fly into a blizzard.  It was actually pretty interesting.  Even though my party wasn’t holding a presidential preference vote because they have an actual incumbent president instead of an insurrectionist ex-president, they conducted other party business like selecting delegates to the party’s state convention (in March) and formulating party platform statements.

So the following morning I left early, I did get to Chicago on time, and my flight arrived back in Orlando on time.  Tadahhhh!

Previous travel to Iowa as a visitor – February and March 2021

Czech & Slovak Museum, Cedar Rapids

In February & March 2021 I flew into Eastern Iowa Airport and stayed each time at a motel from Thursday afternoon thru the following Tuesday morning.  That makes four business days (including two partial days) and a weekend each time, deliberately less than Iowa’s registration trigger of five business days.

I had a specific purpose for visiting Iowa that cold winter.  I had decided that Iowa was a good location to establish a summer home to serve as a base for my future summer travel.  Florida, after all, isn’t at all centrally located with respect to cross-country travel – but Iowa is.  And yes, I did purchase a home in Iowa, and have registered it as my new “primary residence” in Florida’s registry. 

That means my Iowa home is my residence for more than 50% of each calendar year.  However I still flee to Florida for the winter, so I changed all three of my registered addresses in Florida to “open-ended temporary residences” which means I can stay there any time I want as long as I report to the local sheriff’s department within 48 hours of my arrival.

As far as my cross-country travel is concerned, my move just transfers the problem of getting permission to leave town to my new local sheriff’s department in Iowa.  And in the case of Iowa this introduces a new complication because unlike Florida and many other states, Iowa’s registry law explicitly, but clumsily, addresses out-of-state travel.  It says:

“[A] sex offender, within five business days of a change, shall also appear in person to notify the sheriff of the county of principal residence [i.e. the principle residence in Iowa], of any location in which the offender is staying when away from the principal residence of the offender for more than five days, by identifying the location and the period of time the offender is staying in such location.”  692A.105  IS.

While I was at my new Iowa sheriff’s department registering, getting photographed, fingerprinted and providing a DNA sample, I took the opportunity to ask how travel was going to work.  I pointed out that although I can always provide a destination when traveling, there is no way I’ll be able provide locations and addresses ahead of time for every campground or motel room I might be staying at along the way. 

The lady behind the bullet-proof glass stated that their policy for this type of travel is that I will need to keep a travel log for each trip, which I will need to turn in upon my return.  As you know from reading elsewhere on this blog, I recommend you always keep a travel log as well as all receipts just in case you need to prove your whereabouts, so this sheriff’s department requirement, while ridiculous, turns out not to be a problem for me or anyone following my recommendations.