Fla. Stat. § 944.608 — Florida Code / Title XLVII / Chapter 944 / Section 944.608
944.608 Notification to Department of Law Enforcement of information on career offenders.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, the term “career offender” means a person who is in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, the department or is in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, a contractor-operated correctional facility, and who is designated as a habitual violent felony offender, a violent career criminal, or a three-time violent felony offender under s. 775.084 or as a prison releasee reoffender under s. 775.082(9).

(2) If a career offender is not sentenced to a term of imprisonment, the clerk of the court shall ensure that the career offender’s fingerprints are taken and forwarded to the Department of Law Enforcement within 48 hours after the court sentences the career offender. The fingerprints shall be clearly marked “Career Offender Registration.”

(3) A career offender who is under the supervision of the department but is not incarcerated must register with the department and provide his or her name; date of birth; social security number; race; gender; height; weight; hair and eye color; tattoos or other identifying marks; and permanent or legal residence and address of temporary residence within the state or out of state while the career offender is under supervision in this state, including any rural route address or post office box. The department shall verify the address of each career offender.

(4) In addition to notification and transmittal requirements imposed by any other provision of law, the department shall compile information on any career offender and provide the information to the Department of Law Enforcement. The information shall be made available electronically to the Department of Law Enforcement as soon as this information is in the department’s database and must be in a format that is compatible with the requirements of the Florida Crime Information Center.

(5) The information provided to the Department of Law Enforcement must include: (a) The information obtained from the career offender under subsection (3); (b) The career offender’s most current address and place of permanent and temporary residence within the state or out of state while the career offender is under supervision in this state, including the name of the county or municipality in which the career offender permanently or temporarily resides and, if known, the intended place of permanent or temporary residence upon satisfaction of all sanctions; (c) The legal status of the career offender and the scheduled termination date of that legal status; (d) The location of, and local telephone number for, any Department of Corrections’ office that is responsible for supervising the career offender; and (e) A digitized photograph of the career offender, which must have been taken within 60 days before the career offender is released from the custody of the department or a contractor-operated correctional facility or within 60 days after the onset of the department’s supervision of any career offender who is on probation, community control, conditional release, parole, provisional release, or control release. If the career offender is in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, a contractor-operated correctional facility, the facility shall take a digitized photograph of the career offender within the time period provided in this paragraph and shall provide the photograph to the department.

(6)(a) The department shall notify the Department of Law Enforcement if the career offender escapes, absconds, or dies while in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, the department. (b) If any information provided by the department changes during the time the career offender is under the department’s custody, control, or supervision, including any change in the career offender’s name by reason of marriage or other legal process, the department shall, in a timely manner, update the information and provide it to the Department of Law Enforcement in the manner prescribed in subsection (4).

(7) A career offender who is under the supervision of the department but who is not incarcerated shall, in addition to the registration requirements provided in subsection (3), register in the manner provided in s. 775.261(4)(c), unless the career offender is a sexual predator, in which case he or she shall register as required under s. 775.21, or is a sexual offender, in which case he or she shall register as required in s. 944.607. A career offender who fails to comply with the requirements of s. 775.261(4) is subject to the penalties provided in s. 775.261(8).

(8) The failure of a career offender to submit to the taking of a digitized photograph, or to otherwise comply with the requirements of this section, is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(9) The department, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Law Enforcement, personnel of those departments, and any individual or entity acting at the request or upon the direction of those departments are immune from civil liability for damages for good faith compliance with this section, and shall be presumed to have acted in good faith in compiling, recording, reporting, or providing information. The presumption of good faith is not overcome if technical or clerical errors are made by the department, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Law Enforcement, personnel of those departments, or any individual or entity acting at the request or upon the direction of those departments in compiling, recording, reporting, or providing information, or, if the information is incomplete or incorrect because the information has not been provided by a person or agency required to provide the information, or because the information was not reported or was falsely reported.

History: s. 4, ch. 2002-266; s. 11, ch. 2004-371; s. 63, ch. 2013-116; s. 53, ch. 2016-24; s. 29, ch. 2016-104; s. 25, ch. 2024-84.