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Sex Offenders

A map of the state of florida

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The number of sex offenders and predators living in Florida has been rising steadily for more than a decade, according to a new report put together by legislative auditors.

The report issued late last week stated that nearly 29,000 registered sex offenders and predators now reside in the state. That's an increase of 53 percent since 2005, when state legislators first ordered their auditors to review the state's efforts to keep an up-to-date registry of sex offenders.

The report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability does not include any explanations for the rise.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a statewide database that tracks people who have been convicted of certain sexual offenses and have been released from prison. Judges designate certain offenders as sex "predators" if they are deemed an "extreme threat" to public safety because they have targeted children or engaged in physical violence against their victims.

Sex offenders are required to register with local sheriffs once they leave prison or are placed on supervision.

Legislative auditors noted that the state's registry lists more than 73,000 sexual offenders and predators, but the majority of them do not live among the public in Florida. Instead, many of them live in other states or have been sent back to prison.

Auditors stated that the typical registered sex offender in Florida was a white, middle-aged male: 75 percent of those on the registry were white, followed by African-Americans at 24 percent.

The report includes a county-by-county breakdown showing that urban counties had the highest overall number of sex offenders. Orange County, which is in central Florida and home to Orlando, had the highest total with 2,299 followed by Duval County in northeast Florida with 2,018 registered offenders.

Two smaller rural counties, Dixie and Gadsden, had the highest percentage of offenders on a per capita basis. Dixie is in north central Florida on the state's Gulf Coast, while Gadsden is west of the state capital.

2023 Sex Offender Registry Rates by State per 100,000

A map of the united states

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Rank

State

registered

per

sex offenders

100,000

1

New Jersey

4,645

50

2

Massachusetts

5,665

81

3

Washington

6,986

90

4

Maryland

6,560

106

5

Rhode Island

1,416

129

6

Arizona

9,659

131

7

New Mexico

2,769

131

8

Florida

32,136

144

9

California

61,764

158

10

Connecticut

5,929

164

11

Ohio

19,729

168

12

Virginia

15,162

175

13

New Hampshire

2,576

185

14

Indiana

13,258

194

15

Vermont

1,256

194

16

Oklahoma

7,856

195

17

Pennsylvania

25,639

198

18

Iowa

6,545

204

19

Kentucky

9,362

207

20

Maine

2,864

207

21

Colorado

12,323

211

22

Hawaii

3,055

212

23

New York

42,871

218

24

Alabama

11,157

220

25

Georgia

24,334

223

26

Nevada

7,445

234

27

North Dakota

2,005

257

28

North Carolina

27,684

259

29

Illinois

33,269

264

30

Idaho

5,141

265

31

Montana

2,953

267

32

Nebraska

5,333

271

33

Utah

9,580

283

34

Mississippi

8,343

284

35

Louisiana

13,196

287

36

Tennessee

22,168

314

37

Minnesota

18,328

321

38

Texas

100,989

336

39

West Virginia

6,288

354

40

Missouri

23,291

377

41

Kansas

11,511

392

42

South Carolina

20,923

396

43

Michigan

40,176

400

44

Delaware

4,253

418

45

Wyoming

2,497

429

46

Wisconsin

26,353

447

47

South Dakota

4,080

448

48

Alaska

3,331

454

49

Arkansas

18,456

606

50

Oregon

32,715

772

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