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Florida Legislature 2005 (click for ongoing coverage)

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Sex offenders would be tracked

By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published March 31, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Two former sheriffs unveiled their proposal Wednesday for the Jessica Lunsford Act, which would require sex offenders to wear tracking units while on probation.

Rep. Charlie Dean, a former Citrus County sheriff, and Rep. Everett Rice, a former Pinellas County sheriff, urged colleagues on the House Criminal Justice Committee to vote for the bill, inspired by the 9-year-old Homosassa girl who was kidnapped and murdered last month.

"It's unfortunate that it took the life of this little girl to point out this need," Rice said.

Under the bill, sex offenders on probation would be required to wear a Global Positioning System device, which uses satellite technology to pinpoint movement. The devices already are used in some Florida counties and several states, including Georgia.

The committee passed the bill unanimously. Dick Kravitz, R-Jacksonville, chairman, called it "one of the most important bills before the Legislature."

A version of the act being drafted in the Senate would go even further.

Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, is working on a bill that would impose much tougher penalties for sexual offenses. It would:

Enhance the penalty for molesting a child under 12 and require lifetime electronic monitoring of offenders.

Require all county probation officials to search the sex offender registry.

Make it a crime to harbor a registered sex offender or predator.

Triple the funding for electronic tracking units used by state probation officials.

"I want to send a loud message," Argenziano said. "If you want to prey on little children, Florida is not going to be the state to do it in."

However, none of the lawmakers has estimated the cost of their proposals, and Gov. Jeb Bush and Senate President Tom Lee have expressed some concern about the price tag.

"It's not something for nothing," Bush said. "There is a price to pay and it can be estimated. If they're going to add additional penalties, then there has to be additional commitment to funding the prison system."

Jessica Lunsford was reported missing Feb. 24. An extensive search ended after detectives tracked down John Couey in Georgia. Authorities say Couey confessed to abducting the girl from her bed and murdering her.

Couey has an extensive criminal record and was designated a sexual offender in 1991 after a conviction for an attempted lewd act on a 5-year-old girl in Kissimmee. He was on probation for a different crime when he was arrested in Jessica's slaying. Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy discussed the bill with residents Tuesday at a town hall meeting in Homosassa, just miles from Jessica's home. "This is not foolproof," Dawsy told them. "What this is is a much better mechanism for filling in some holes."

Times staff writer Abbie VanSickle contributed to this report. Carrie Johnson can be reached at 850 224-7263 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 31, 2005, 01:27:20]