TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Predators Can Stay In Homes

ADVERTISEMENT

By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 8, 2008

Updated: 03/07/2008 11:46 pm

PALM RIVER - Eleven convicted sex offenders and predators again will be able to call Judi's Mobile Home Park their home.

The Hillsborough County Attorney's Office, however, has determined that because the mobile home park is within 300 feet of a school bus stop, the convicted sex predators living at the mobile home park at 5011 24th Ave. S. will have to watch their step - literally.

Under a county ordinance passed in March 2007, sexual predators aren't allowed within 300 feet of a bus stop, school, playground or other place where children congregate. There is a bus stop on 50th Street and 24th Avenue South about 250 feet from the mobile home park owned by Rooring Lake Gilbert LLC.

Six of the 11 men living at Judi's are convicted sex predators. A sex predator is someone who has been convicted of more than one crime or a more serious crime.

The proximity of the bus stop severely limits the movements of those six men, said Assistant County Attorney Sheree Fish.

"They can sleep in their trailers, but they can't do other things the neighbors have been telling us about, like standing around outside smoking, cutting through their yards and walking up and down the street," she said.

She said her office has notified the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to watch for violators, who ultimately could receive a $500 fine and jail time.

It wasn't the victory that residents of the J&L Mobile Home Park across the street had sought when they went before the Hillsborough County Commission on Thursday asking that something be done about the transitional housing facility for sex offenders run by the nonprofit Florida Justice Transitions.

Initially, residents of both mobile home parks were told the sex offenders had 24 hours to leave.

Instead of leaving, the offenders sought the advice of Tampa lawyer Janine Cohen.

"The ordinance only applies to loitering," said Cohen, adding that the Florida Department of Corrections approved this location for the Florida Justice Transitions facility.

"A man sleeping in his bed is not equal to loitering," she said. "The assistant county attorney didn't do proper research and was ready to put these men out on the streets. Fortunately, when they were told they had to move they came to an attorney looking for help. We don't want them to hide. We want to know where they are."

"We wrote the law. We know what it says," Fish countered. She said the law was intended for situations such as this.

"These families shouldn't have to worry about these men walking through their trailer park. This will prevent it."

Residents had mixed feelings about the outcome, especially after Nancy Morais, founder of Florida Justice Transitions, visited Thursday night to discuss her program, which provides counseling services and support for the men along with a place to live and continual monitoring by probation officers and sheriff's deputies.

"I had a change of heart," resident Mary Hogan said. "I think it would hurt the community more if we kicked them out. This way, we can keep an eye on them."

Even child safety advocate Judy Cornett is rethinking her opinion on clustering sex offenders.

"I think Nancy's heart is in the right place," Cornett said. "She just hasn't fine-tuned this thing. She needs to invest in an industrial area, away from families with children. You don't turn a 2-year-old loose in a toy store and expect them not to touch the toys."

Single mother of three Carla Bowling wasn't convinced.

"The woman's got a good heart, but my number one concern is the kids," she said. "A lot of the men in that trailer park were convicted of crimes against children under 12 and I've got an 11-year-old daughter. Now I can never relax. I can never be comfortable in my own home."

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT