July 9, 2009

Exile v. Miami-Dade County

On July 9, 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Miami-Dade County, Florida, for enacting a restrictive sex offender housing ordinance that prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of schools, day care centers, or parks. The county ordinance exceeds the state requirement that registered sex offenders with offenses against children, live more than 1,000 feet from areas where children congregate. The ACLU said the restrictive ordinance has contributed to the county's high number of registered sex offenders considered transient and has impeded the state's ability to enforce its system to register, monitor, and oversee sex offenders. The lawsuit calls for the state to invalidate the restrictive local ordinances.