chipleypaper.com: Bonifay Council proposes restricting where sex offenders live.
Bonifay City Council approved first reading of an ordinance restricting where adjudicated sex offenders and sexual predators can live in the city. Action was taken at Monday’s regular meeting of city council.
Under Ordinance 366 sexual offenders and predators involved in an offense where the victim was less that 16 years of age would be restricted from living with 2,500 feet of “any school, designated public school bus stop, child care facility, family day care home, park, playground or any other place where children regularly congregate.” The latter could include the recreation center as an example.
In other words, it bans living in most parts of the city.
Penalties would apply to offenders that move to the City after the ordinance goes into effect. Final passage of the ordinance is expected at the Feb. 8 regular meeting. Landlords are also subject to penalties if they knowingly rent property to offenders once the ordinance goes into effect. Taylor said that offenders already living inside City limits must be “grandfathered in” under state law.
Exceptions are also granted if the offender was a minor when they committed the offense, if they are currently a minor or if the school, designated public school bus stop, child care facility, family day care home, park, playground or any other place where children regularly congregate was opened after the person established a permanent residence.
