Getting Out From Under the Bridge

Sex offenders catch a break from Miami-Dade County, sort of.

The restrictive laws regarding registered sex offenders in Miami has many living under a bridge --about 40 people cramped under the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

In response, the Miami-Dade County Commission eased restrictions slightly regarding where they can live late Thursday night. But they added new restrictions too.

The old rules kept sex offenders and sex predators from living within certain distances from schools, playgrounds, parks, bus stops, and anywhere else children gather.

The distance varied from 1500 feet to 2500 feet from city to city.

In the new ordinance, passed unanimously, the entire county went to 2500 feet but placed those restrictions on only schools.

Commissioners and other supporters said it may help get more of the sex offenders and predators out from under the bridge.

The encampment  of 30-40 registered sex offenders and sex predators beneath the Causeway is entrenched, they say, because laws preclude them from living almost everywhere.

Across the bay in downtown Miami, the Miami-Dade County Commissioners OKed a move to make the county’s 2500-foot law supersede other laws from cities within the county.
 
Commissioner Pepe Diaz said it’ll actually create move places for offenders to live.
 
"Well, basically, before there was some municipalities, I think, it was a hundred percent of their coverage," Diaz said. "Now, based on the county law, there might be opportunities of little areas that have opened up."
 
The biggest criticism of the old restriction was that most sex offenders and sex predators, like anyone else, are home at night. So restricting where they live means restricting where they are at night, when schools and playgrounds are, of course, empty. Critics said the restrictions were pointless unless they were aimed at where offenders go during the day.
 
So the county commission also passed a new loitering zone of 300 feet aimed at daytime activity.
 
"That's why this law is so effective,” said Diaz. “It's not about nighttime. Yea, you're right, they're sleeping. But it’s really about the daytime and them walking and saying hi to Mr. Friendly. Mr. Friendly keeps talking and eventually says 'come into my house.'"
 
It’s unlikely the new law will be challenged in court because the American Civil Liberties Union does not oppose the changes.

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