May 16, 2007 9:44 am US/Eastern
Hollywood To Restrict Where Sex Offenders Can Live
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HOLLYWOOD (CBS4) ―
Another Broward city could soon be hanging out the 'un-welcome' sign to sexual predators.
Hollywood commissioners will vote Wednesday on imposing new restrictions that would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 1-thousand feet of schools, parks, and recreation centers. They would also not be permitted to live near day care centers or public school bus stops.
According to our news partners at the
Miami Herald more than 150 sex offenders have addresses listed in Hollywood and more than half of them are no longer under court supervision.
Housing restrictions for sexual offenders were discussed during the last session of the Florida Legislature. Mental health experts who treat sexual offenders criticized the residency restrictions, saying it makes them harder to track and often forces them to live on the streets.
A number of cities passed their own sexual predator residency restrictions following the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 9-year old Jessica Lunsford by convicted sex offender John Couey in 2005. Problems with housing restrictions became evident when several sex offenders were found living under Miami's Julia Tuttle Causeway. The men said they were forced to live there because Miami's residency restrictions kept them out of available housing.
Currently, Ft. Lauderdale is the only city in Broward County that has no restrictions on where sex offenders can reside.
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CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this repo)
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