What makes these guys able to offend is secrecy. If they know that we know they're around, they can't stay secret. That number will grow as months go by because new offenders and predators are released from prison nearly every day. Offenders are those who have been convicted of lesser sex crimes such as lewd and lascivious acts. Their names, addresses and pictures are listed on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site, but police aren't required to notify an entire neighborhood when an offender moves in.
Some departments do so anyway.
Predators have been convicted of committing the most serious sex crimes, such as the rape of a child younger than 12. Repeat offenders of lesser crimes may also be labeled as predators by a judge. Sixty-six predators live in Hillsborough County. Larry Spalding, the legislative attorney for the ACLU, says his group has accepted the law because it's not an invasion of privacy. The information it provides already is a matter of public record.