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WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Palm Beach County News - Ordinance could ease housing restrictions for sex offenders

Ordinance could ease housing restrictions for sex offenders

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. -- Registered sex offenders are unwanted in most neighborhoods and because of strict housing laws there are few places where they can live. But a task force in Palm Beach County is looking into changing those restrictions.

There are 962 registered sex offenders in Palm Beach County, but finding a place to live is nearly impossible.

Mike Rodriguez/Criminal Justice Commission: One of the problems is a lot of the people don't have a place to go, and they register as transients. So there's several hundred of them between Palm Beach County and Broward County, where we don't know where they are.

Mike Rodriguez/Criminal Justice Commission:  Law enforcement has a hard time figuring out where it is okay to live and where it is not because there are so few places left.

Right now sex offenders are required to live 2,500 feet away from a schools, parks or daycares in the Palm Beach County. But officials are talking about reducing that distance to 1,000 feet.

Mike Rodriquez is the executive director of Palm Beach county's criminal justice commission. He says right now there is no formal proposal to ease restrictions. But he says the biggest issue is keeping track of sex offenders.

Mike Rodriguez/Criminal Justice Commission: Law enforcement is interested in this because its hard to track someone who is transient it would assist law enforcement if they could find a legitimate place to live.

Ordinance could ease housing restrictions for sex offenders

Wednesday, June 27 2012, 10:28 PM EDT

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