Commissioners in Lake County, Florida pushed through a new ordinance earlier this month that will prevent registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of another sex offender. The new restriction comes on the heels of an October ordinance that applied two bans to sex offenders regarding day-care centers, parks or playgrounds. The bans prevent offenders from living within 2,500 feet or being within 300 feet of the aforementioned areas.

With more than 400 people in Lake County who have gone through the sex offender registration process, these are impactful new restrictions. They apply only to a registered person whose victim was under the age of 16, but the newest ordinance cannot be applied retroactively. That means the ban does not apply to sex offenders who are currently living within 500 feet of another registered person.

These shifts in sex offender restrictions can be complicated, and it is not logical to think someone is going to carry around a tape measure all day to make sure they are not in violation of these ordinances. Questions will surely arise, and if you find yourself wondering about your situation or how these new rules affect you, consult a reputable legal representative with experience handling sex offender registration.

Even with these new rules in place, there are some people trying to help people who are registered sex offenders. A suggestion by a Tampa Bay woman last year brought the idea of an entire community that would provide services, transportation and housing for sex offenders - an effort to aid people working hard to turn their lives around.

Source: Orlando Sentinel, "Lake commissioners tighten sex-offender regulations, prohibit clustering," Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez, Jan. 11, 2012