Charlie Crist Weighs in on Sex Offender Laws

The Julia Tuttle Causeway is the single human rights issue that may end Charlie Crist's political career at the Governor's mansion.

He's in trouble on the sex offender issue and he knows it.

Read on.

Per The Miami Herald, Charlie Crist Weighs in on Sex Offender Laws (BY JULIE KNIPE BROWN AND BETH REINHARD, 7/29/09):

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has kept himself at arm's length in the thorny debate over sex offender residency laws, inched toward a compromise on Wednesday, saying he would help ``facilitate a solution.''

However, he reiterated his position that the state would not overrule local laws -- even if the residency boundaries vary greatly from one municipality to another.

The controversy stems from the legal and political wrangling over a group of sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami-Dade. The squalid camp of 70-plus convicted molesters have few options because residency laws prohibit them from living within certain distances of where children play or go to school.

(...)

Asked Wednesday if local government buffers have gone too far, Crist said: ``Not necessarily. It's up to local government to make those decisions, and I wouldn't want to impose my will on them. I think they're doing what they believe to be responsible in their localities, and I want to be respectful of that.''

His statement came after a Newsweek article spotlighted the camp, and Ron Book, chairman of Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust, railed at the governor for failing to help fix the problem. After meeting with the governor and his staff, he was clearly frustrated.

``I had to walk away. I was annoyed. They don't even have a clue of a solution,'' Book told Newsweek.

LESS ANNOYED

On Wednesday, Book was more conciliatory. He said he called the governor and apologized for his Newsweek comments. The governor, he said, had become more proactive on the issue in recent days.

His staff, Book said, ``Engaged in a dialogue with me as we explore what options there are . . . they recognize this as a problem; we don't have to point fingers.''

RELOCATING

Meanwhile, Book is moving forward with plans to relocate the Causeway dwellers.

He is ready to move eight of them to a private apartment building in South Miami-Dade -- but he said they aren't happy about moving so far south, even though some of them have transportation.

``I concede it doesn't have a lot of mass transit opportunities,'' Book said.

``But you got people with cars, give me a break.''

Who would those people be, Ron? The families you've made certain those under the JT cannot live with because of residency restrictions.

You give ME a break.

Check out what others are saying here.

One more aside.

DO NOT send Charlie Crist to the Senate.

Ron Book: Too Little, Too Late

I emailed lobbyist Ron Book a few years back regarding the death of Clovis Claxton, a mentally challenged man who killed himself after neighbors posted fliers depicting him as a "Child Rapist".

I wanted Book to know the effect the laws he supported had on people and on their families.

I've kept his reply, (replies actually, as he had a couple of emails worth of choice rationalization) which provided insight into his hell-bent obsession with the passage and implementation of sex offender laws. This was a man intent on taking out his parental guilt through use of his political power to make somebody pay for what happened to his daughter.

He did express condolences, thinking Clovis was my son. But that didn't stop him from his personal vendetta. That was 2005.

Present day 2009, the unintended consequences, the over reach, the broad spectrum of what qualifies as a sex offense, the huge numbers of persons forced to register as offenders, family members and friends working at the grassroots to educate the public regarding the truth behind these laws....

...the camp under the Julia Tuttle.... all are catching up with Mr. Book.

The heat--as is said--is on.

So when I read the recent Newsweek article featuring Book and the role he played in the formation of Miami's sex offender camp, my first impression?

Damage control. To his reputation.

And I thought of Clovis and his family. Of their loss.

And then, I just felt sick.

Read the Newsweek article A Bridge Too Far (7/25/09) in its entirety here.

A few snippets to prepare you.

***

Keeping in mind, Book hired his daughter's oppressor as a nanny:

(...)

As soon as Lauren left his office, the psychiatrist called Ron Book and asked him to come in the next day to discuss an urgent matter. When Book learned the news, he felt the world had come undone. "I was spinning, spinning, spinning," he says. Much of their session focused on Book's feelings of rage and overwhelming guilt for not having detected his daughter's abuse. He fought back fantasies of violent retribution. In the end, he channeled his wrath into the one arena in which he maneuvers so deftly: the corridors of political power.

Book's relentlessness as a lobbyist is legendary. Compact and pugnacious, he sports a large diamond-studded ring, wears impeccably tailored Brioni suits, and drives a Bentley V12 convertible and an Audi R8. He carries three cell phones, and during the legislative session in Tallahassee you can often see him juggling calls in each ear while also wheedling a passing lawmaker. "His drive, especially toward the end of the session, is like a whirling dervish," says former Florida House Speaker John Thrasher. Other lobbyists love going against him, because even if they lose--which is likely--they know that fighting "Ronnie" will reap a bounty of billable hours.

In the wake of Lauren's abuse, Book mounted a legislative onslaught on sexual predators. Among the many measures he championed, the most significant were local residency restrictions that barred registered sex offenders from living within a certain radius--usually 2,500 feet--of places where children gather, like schools, parks, and playgrounds. By the time he was done, Book had helped pass such ordinances in some 60 cities and counties throughout Florida and beyond.

***

Dan Gelber, running for Florida Attorney General, gets a clue:

(...)

Even some staunch supporters of residency restrictions have expressed misgivings after witnessing the chaos the ordinances sow. Florida state Sen. Dan Gelber, whose district is home to the Julia Tuttle camp, is adamant about the 2,500-foot rule. A father of three, he recently learned, to his dismay, that a registered sex offender who lived six doors down from him was arrested for masturbating in front of some children. Despite his hardline stance, however, Gelber was aghast at what he observed in his first visit to the bridge in early July--the density of the encampment, the sordid conditions. "There has to be another way," he says.

***

Book sees the light:

(...)

Earlier this year, Book began reconsidering his position—spurred by lawmakers on both ends of the spectrum who'd begun questioning the wisdom of the ordinances. "I had to take stock and ask myself, 'Am I in the right place or not?' " he says. In an interview with a Newsweek reporter in June, Book admitted, "I was wrong"—three times. A few days later he had dinner with Levenson, the Lynn University professor, who's critical of residency laws. "Five years ago, I thought of you as a predator sympathizer," he told her. "I didn't see the bigger picture." He concluded the evening by assuring her,?"I will be part of the solution."

With characteristic tenacity, Book is now trying to undo the bridge fiasco.

***

Passing the buck to a very displeased Florida governor, currently running for the U.S. Senate:

Book has tried to enlist Gov. Charlie Crist's help. Twice in the past month, he buttonholed the governor at private gatherings to urge him to take action—perhaps convening a statewide task force to come up with potential legislative fixes. Their more recent exchange grew testy, according to Book. When Crist denied that the Department of Corrections was placing offenders under the causeway, "I said, 'You are f--king wrong,' " says Book. "I had to walk away. I was f--king annoyed. They don't even have a clue of a solution." (In the past week, the governor's office, which declined to comment on Book's account to Newsweek, has begun working with him on a solution.) Book, like his daughter, opposes entirely eliminating the 2,500-foot zones, but he thinks that shrinking them—say, to 1,750 feet—would create sufficient housing options for offenders. The problem, though, is that no public official wants to back a measure that could be depicted as pro-predator.

With chances of a legislative remedy remote for now, Book switched his focus to finding alternative housing for the bridge denizens. He has expertise in the area, given his position as chair of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust. Several weeks ago, he asked staffers there to try to find possible dwellings in the county that abide by the 2,500-foot rule. They came up with a handful of them, including a former corrections facility owned by Miami-Dade County that was converted to apartments and isn't being used. "It is critical that I spread [the offenders] around," says Book. "If I settle too many in a particular commissioner's district, that will not work." So far, he's found placements for nine of them. But it's not easy. He needs to persuade a host of local and state entities—many with conflicting agendas, and some now embroiled in litigation—to sign off on any deals. "It is wearing me down," said Book late last week. "I don't know where we stand now. But I am going out to the bridge in the next few days. I'm going to see them, so they know that we are trying."

***

TRY LIVING THERE, RON.

Charlie Crist Pens an Emily Post to a White Activist

Gov. Charlie Crist has a DVD to share with the people of Florida.

A DVD of “Jud Suss.”

Apparently, the Governor (or whoever writes his copy) recently wrote a thank you note that would make etiquette maven Emily Post proud.

Recipient? The citizen who provided him with a copy of the Third Reich favorite, John Ubele, who just happens to run a white supremacist website.

Per The Herald Tribune (7/24/2009):


“Thank you for sending me the DVD ‘Jud Suss.’ It is my pleasure to accept this on behalf of myself and the people of Florida. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sharing this DVD … Thank you again for your generosity.”


D-OH!

The Holocaust Education and Archive Research Team (HEART) describes Jud Suss as "The most successful anti-Semitic film the Nazi's ever made." (Read more here).

As reported by Florida Today, 7/24/2009:

(...)

Crist’s office sent a letter dated June 30 and bearing the governor’s signature that thanked John Ubele of Pasco County for providing the governor with a DVD of “Jud Suss.” The Nazi-produced film is recognized as one of history’s most incendiary.

In closing a brief thank-you note, Crist praised Ubele’s thoughtfulness and generosity and said he would be delighted to share the DVD with the people of Florida.

“I was surprised considering the stigma that has been associated with the film,” Ubele said Friday in an exchange of e-mails with The Associated Press. “I was even more suprised when I looked at the signature because from what I can tell it looks real.” Ubele said the signature appeared to be signed by a marker.

The governor’s office, however, said it was an embarrassing mistake.

“We are NOT sharing the DVD with the people of Florida,” said Sterling Ivey, the governor’s press secretary. “The governor does not support this view. The letter was sent out prior to us reviewing the DVD that was sent.”

The 1940 film was produced by the Nazi propaganda arm and was a great success in Germany and abroad, although it was banned in Sweden in 1941 and has never been shown in that country.

Within the Third Reich, “Jud Suss” was the No. 1 film of the 1939-1940 season when it was seen by more than 20 million people. Anti-Jewish violence was reported after its projection in Marseille, France, for one example.

Ubele, who ran unsuccessfully for the state Legislature, is the operations manager of a group called the Nationalist Coalition that promotes “white activism.”

Crist aspires to become the Florida Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. All I can say is...

Way to go after the South Florida vote, Charlie.

Oh. But there's more.

Charlie was quick to pen a note of a different sort after Ubele posted his thank-you note.

Also from The Herald Tribune link cited above:

(...)

UPDATE: Crist sent out a stern letter late Friday night, asking Ubele to pull a copy of Crist's original form letter from the website.

"This letter is written to correct an inexcusable mistake made by staff in my office. reflected in a letter of June 30, 2009 regarding the DVD Jud Suss. Unfortunately, that letter was sent by staff prior to any review of the content of the DVD. Subsequently, my staff has reviewed the DVD and advised me of the content.

"I am now writing to unequivocally advise you that neither I, not anyone in this administration agree with or condone the anti-Semitic content of this DVD. This DVD contains anti-Semitic propaganda filmed in Nazi Germany. It is laden with crude, anti-Semitic stereotypes and was unfortunately used by the Nazi regime to facilitate the Holocaust. The murder of over six million Jews in World War II is an abhorrent but real episode of man's inhumanity to man.

"I am advised that you have posted by June 30, 2009 letter on your Web site. Since that letter was sent in error and does not reflect my view, I request that you immediately remove it from your Web site, and any other representation therein that I or anyone in my administration agree with or condone the anti-Semitic content of this DVD."

Ubele doesn't scare easily. The letter remains posted for your reading pleasure here.

(A link to the film can also be accessed from Ubele's website, but out of respect for my members of my family and friends of Jewish faith, I just can't link to the film.)

But, trust me. We are all ROFLAO over this one.

Especially as Crist refusing to address those citizens "concentrated" under Miami's Julia Tuttle Causeway.....

Florida. We can do better.

Who needs a note?

"All gifts should be acknowledged with a note, unless the goodies were opened in front of the giver—then you have the chance to thank them in person. An important exception: many of an older generation expect a hand-written note. Providing them with one is an appropriate gesture of respect and consideration."

--The Emily Post Institute

The Finger Pointers: Crist, Gelber and Book

Iowa did it.

So why can't Florida change the state's sex offender law?

Because it takes political courage.

As reported by Miami Herald reporter Julie Brown (7/23/2009):

(...)

How did Iowa do it?

Legislators were prodded by some powerful forces -- all of whom lobbied hard for change.

With an election year on the horizon in 2010, the jittery lawmakers formed a committee that met in secret and crafted a law they felt the entire legislature -- and the public -- could live with.

Among other things, the law created three tiers whereby those who committed very minor sex crimes would be permitted to live near a school or other places where children congregate. The very worst sex offenders still must adhere to the 2,000-foot ban and other strict rules.
"The law enforcement community was pretty united," said Ross Loder, of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. "We are not nearly concerned about where the sex offender sleeps; we are really concerned about what they do when they are awake."
That kind of debate is not happening in Florida, where local and state government leaders continue pointing fingers at each other and penning lawsuits to find an answer.

TAKE NOTE OF THE FINGER POINTERS. Charlie Crist, state Senator Dan Gelber (who seeks the Democratic nomination for Attorney General) and lobbyist and Chair of the Homeless Trust and Smashed Frog favorite, Ron Book.

(...)

Meanwhile, the Florida legislature has almost ignored the issue, with Gov. Charlie Crist refusing to step in, saying it's a local matter.

Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber, whose district includes the Julia Tuttle Causeway and is campaigning for state attorney general, agrees that something needs to be done, but says a lot more thoughtful policy must go into it.

"Florida has much more different challenges than Iowa," Gelber said. "What we're not going to do is have statewide lower standards and open our neighborhoods because some professor says it's OK."

Gelber firmly believes that sex offenders are likely to continue to commit sex crimes. He favors some of the proposals being hammered out by Ron Book, chairman of Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust. Book is trying to find housing alternatives for the homeless sex offenders now living under the causeway.

Book said Thursday that they are looking at several properties in South Miami, as well as the old North Dade Detention Center, where staff offices had previously been converted into living quarters.

He conceded however, that moving them is not the solution. "We don't need a Band-aid; we need a longer-term solution. As more and more of these sexual predators exit the correctional system and there's less and space, what do you do with the population?

A better question is, what do the people of Florida do with the likes of Crist, Gelber and Book?

Lode, of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, "It takes political courage to step up and enact changes."

As voiced by Albert Einstein, "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."

Ms. Brown's article in its entirety.

Unlike Florida, Iowa reworked sex offender law

Midwestern state's new law superseded local ordinances and eased residency requirements for minor sex offenders

By Julie Brown

The Miami Herald

9:47 PM EDT, July 23, 2009

MIAMI

A flock of sex offenders camping out in alleys, sleeping under bridges and hiding in places where police can't keep track of them.

A patchwork of inconsistent city, township and county laws carving out zones where sex offenders are not welcome.

And squeamish elected officials petrified that if they try to brew a fix their next attack ad will be a snapshot of them with their arms around a sex predator.

Sound familiar? It may all seem like Miami-Dade's quandary over what to do with the sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway -- but it's not.

Iowa officials faced nearly the same issues, but in April settled things by doing something Florida hasn't found the political will to do -- change its sexual predator law.

This past spring, Iowa's state legislature -- with almost no dissent -- passed a new sex offender law that superseded local ordinances and eased residency requirements for minor sex offenders.

The law ended the ban against some sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of a school or day care center and created other zones where they are prohibited from lingering, visiting or working.

The new statute is less confusing, and while it's not perfect, it has been lauded by law enforcement, victims' rights advocates, the ACLU, prosecutors and legislators as a positive step.

Iowa offers a roadmap for Florida to break its political stalemate over how to deal with convicted sex offenders who have left prison.

The story in Iowa began in 2005 when the state legislature passed into law a strict measure prohibiting all sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or day care. But it became problematic almost from the start.

Like Florida's law, it was written so broadly that even those who only gave a pornographic magazine to a minor were considered as dangerous as someone who raped a 9-year-old. In Iowa, both were classified as sex offenders and had to register and live outside the 2,000-foot zone. (Florida's law is 1,000 feet)

"We were just about the first state in the nation to pass a sex offender law," recalled Randall Wilson, legal director for Iowa's ACLU. "It sounded good on paper to a lot of politicians. But after several years, everyone realized we made a terrible mistake."

Iowa State Sen. Jerry Behn recalled that legislators were nervous about changing the law at time of media frenzy over child abductions and deadly sex crimes against children.

"Nobody wants a flier saying you are going soft on sex predators," Behn said.

But law enforcement prevailed by pointing out the problems with the law.

Police had a tough time enforcing it for several reasons: with no place to live, sexual offenders often absconded, police spent too much time trying to find them and when they did find them, couldn't register them because they had no residence.

Like South Florida, Des Moines had its share of sex offenders living under bridges, in alleys and on the streets.

William Melville, president of the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers and Sioux City police sergeant, said at one point the city had a map with all the exclusionary zones circled on it.

"Someone would come up to us and ask 'Where's this little white area where I can go?'ƒ|"

How did Iowa do it?

Legislators were prodded by some powerful forces -- all of whom lobbied hard for change.

With an election year on the horizon in 2010, the jittery lawmakers formed a committee that met in secret and crafted a law they felt the entire legislature -- and the public -- could live with.

Among other things, the law created three tiers whereby those who committed very minor sex crimes would be permitted to live near a school or other places where children congregate. The very worst sex offenders still must adhere to the 2,000-foot ban and other strict rules.

"The law enforcement community was pretty united," said Ross Loder, of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. "We are not nearly concerned about where the sex offender sleeps; we are really concerned about what they do when they are awake."

That kind of debate is not happening in Florida, where local and state government leaders continue pointing fingers at each other and penning lawsuits to find an answer.

Meanwhile, the Florida legislature has almost ignored the issue, with Gov. Charlie Crist refusing to step in, saying it's a local matter.

Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber, whose district includes the Julia Tuttle Causeway and is campaigning for state attorney general, agrees that something needs to be done, but says a lot more thoughtful policy must go into it.

"Florida has much more different challenges than Iowa," Gelber said. "What we're not going to do is have statewide lower standards and open our neighborhoods because some professor says it's OK."

Gelber firmly believes that sex offenders are likely to continue to commit sex crimes. He favors some of the proposals being hammered out by Ron Book, chairman of Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust. Book is trying to find housing alternatives for the homeless sex offenders now living under the causeway.

Book said Thursday that they are looking at several properties in South Miami, as well as the old North Dade Detention Center, where staff offices had previously been converted into living quarters.

He conceded however, that moving them is not the solution. "We don't need a Band-aid; we need a longer-term solution. As more and more of these sexual predators exit the correctional system and there's less and space, what do you do with the population?"

But Lode, of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, warns that the further people marginalize sexual predators, the more isolated they become from society -- and the more likely they are to re-commit crimes.

Said Lode: "It takes political courage to step up and enact changes."

Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Ron Book's Evolution

Witness the evolution of a lobbyist.

Knuckle Dragger

Options running out for sex offenders living under bridges, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 2/5, 2008

(...)

The lack of housing poses "a serious problem," said state Rep. Jack Seiler, D-Wilton Manors, chairman of the Broward County Legislative Delegation. "What you don't want to have happen is to have them just drop off the map."

Lobbyist Ron Book, who pushed for stronger laws, was unsympathetic. "When an individual gets convicted for sexually deviant behavior, at the end of the day nobody wants them living in their apartments," he said.

***

Semi-Erect

Close the sex offenders' camp under causeway, The Miami Herald, 6/6/2009

(...)

The American Civil Liberties Union is planning to file a lawsuit. Ronald L. Book, chairman of the Homeless Trust, now admits he was wrong to support the 2,500-foot buffer, and that a smaller buffer would still protect children and find a suitable place for felons to live without becoming a global embarassment for South Florida.

***

Stand-Up Guy?

(Well, let's not get carried away. It's quite possible a shove to a stand may be involved.....)

Deal could see Julia Tuttle Causeway sex offenders rehoused, Miami Herald, 7/21/09

Facing growing criticism over 70 registered sex offenders living in squalid conditions under a Julia Tuttle Causeway bridge, Miami-Dade officials and homeless advocates say they are working to relocate them to housing.

In the first step, eight camp dwellers will be moved to a private apartment building in South Miami-Dade in coming days, and officials are looking for a bigger place for the remaining people to be housed, said Ronald Book, chairman of Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust, who is leading the effort.

``Everybody is moving in a positive direction, but we're not where we need to be,'' Book said of the drive toward a permanent solution for the encampment, the target of mounting criticism at home and unflattering portrayals across the world.

Book declined to discuss possible locations, but parties familiar with the search said one venue under consideration is the old North Dade Detention Center, a county jail near the Golden Glades interchange and Miami Gardens that has been vacant since it closed in September 2007. The county has tried unsuccessfully to sell the building.

Some of those living under the bridge said late Tuesday night that they were skeptical of Book's latest plan.

Homer Barkley, 45, said he would be worried if he lived under the same roof as other sex offenders. ``I have done my time for what they said I did. Now I want the chance to lead a normal life,'' Barkley said.

The Julia Tuttle encampment primarily houses registered sex offenders, mostly men, who cannot find residences elsewhere. That's because a host of county and city laws prohibit them from living within 2,500 feet of where children congregate -- including schools, parks and day care facilities.

Many of the felons are on state probation, and state Department of Corrections officers, unable to find suitable housing, steered them to the site as one of the few legal addresses in Miami-Dade County.

``It's a public safety issue,'' said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle, who met with Book and others this week to discuss solutions. ``They are living in inhumane conditions. It's not safe for them -- and it's not safe for others.''

Book said his efforts have focused on finding long-term living arrangements that would not run afoul of laws. The ideal place, he said, would be an apartment building or former hotel that is in foreclosure.

Still, many thorny issues must be ironed out. Who would supervise the residents? Who would pay for liability insurance, and their rent? ``I can't have these people living on the taxpayer's nickel for the long-term,'' Book said.

As the camp's ranks have swelled over the past three years or so, so has the flood of unflattering attention -- and lawsuits.

Debate over the sex offender encampment was chronicled Tuesday afternoon in a national broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered. (Listen here).

On July 9, the ACLU sued Miami-Dade County, saying its 2,500-foot ordinance should be struck down because it cannot trump the less-stringent 1,000-foot limit mandated by state law. The result, the legal group contends: a shantytown that increases, rather than helps diminish, the danger to Miamians.

Other critics agree, saying the overlapping laws actually push sex offenders underground and make it harder for officials to track them because few have stable addresses.

On July 10, Miami sued the state, saying the camp is too close to Picnic Island No. 4, an island park in Biscayne Bay accessible only by boat.

Gov. Charlie Crist's office, in a letter to Miami City Manager Pete Hernandez before the lawsuit was filed, said that ``local officials are charged with exploring lawful housing options'' for offenders under state corrections supervision.

While the efforts to relocate the camp dwellers is laudable, the overly strict local laws will promote creation of encampments elsewhere, predicted Maria Kayanan, associate legal director for Miami's ACLU.

``Nobody is addressing the root problem -- the local governments are interfering with state statute,'' she said. ``Everybody is pointing fingers at each other and trying to put a Band-Aid on the issue.''

credit:
DAVID OVALLE

***

FYI-

Check out the "informed" comments over at USAToday.

Miami to find housing for sex felons living under bridge

7/22/2009

Ron Book: Broward County Schools Debacle Version Three

From Broward Politics:

Lobbyist Ron Book weighs in on the saga of the hurricane repair audit

Education Writer Akilah Johnson (7/16/2009) reports:

Yet another version of events just surfaced regarding a recent audit—which has caused quite a bit of controversy—alleging two contractors ripped off more than three-quarters of a million dollars from the Broward school district after Hurricane Wilma repairs.

At issue: Whether AshBritt, Inc., a national disaster recovery company, and C&B Services, a Texas-based company, inflated invoices; did unnecessary work. And according to the draft report, if district staff possibly tried to cover it up.

Basically under dispute is who was hired to repair what, when, and at what price?

Auditors say representatives from C&B (the general contractor), district officials and lobbyist Ron Book gathered that November day two weeks after Wilma. AshBritt was absent from and didn’t get involved until months later, according to the audit. Michael Garretson, deputy superintendent of facilities and construction, said present were AshBritt and C&B, which was a subcontractor.

Today, Book gave a third version: “AshBritt was not at the meeting.” C&B was present but as the subcontractor, he said.

The whole thing has gotten ugly with words such as “slanderous” and “disgusted” being tossed around amid the debate of the 48-page draft report. The district’s Audit Committee is holding a special meeting on Wednesday to hash out the facts.

I guess no one takes minutes at meetings anymore. Stay tuned.

Read the Broward Sex Offender & Sexual Predator Residence Task Force Report Here!

Came across the link to the Broward County Task Force Report regarding residency restrictions over at The Grimm Truth. (Lots to digest. Check out the report here.)

I found the city ordinance pile-on interesting.

(...)

In Broward County, there are 24 city ordinances (out of 31 cities), all but three of which designate buffer zones of 2,500 feet. All prohibit living near schools, parks, playgrounds, daycare centers, bus stops, and other places where children congregate. Some include libraries, skating rinks, churches or sports fields. See page 8 for a listing of city ordinances.

I've included the list of those cities and yes Froggers, more than three cities designating buffer zones in adherence with state law of 1000 feet are indeed highlighted.

This is either an error on the part of the Task Force OR (if you know anything about Broward County)....

...is Sea Ranch Lakes really a city?

So, which cities politically stepped (leaped) upon the backs of Florida citizens forced to register as sex offenders?

See for yourself.

CITY ORDINANCES

Margate Yes 2500 ft
Coconut Creek Yes 2500 ft
Miramar Yes 2500 ft
Cooper City Yes 2500 ft
North Lauderdale Yes 2500 ft
Coral Springs Yes 2500 ft
Oakland Park Yes 2500 ft
Dania Beach Yes 2500 ft
Parkland Yes 2500 ft
Davie Yes 2500 ft
Pembroke Park No 1000 ft
Deerfield Beach Yes 2500 ft
Pembroke Pines Yes 2500 ft
Fort Lauderdale Yes 1400 ft (Interesting...)
Plantation Yes 2500 ft
Hallandale Beach Yes
2500 ft Pompano Beach Yes 2500 ft
Hillsboro Beach No 1000 ft Sea Ranch Lakes No 1000 ft
Hollywood No 1000 ft
Southwest Ranches Yes 2500 ft
Lazy Lake No 1000 ft
Sunrise Yes 2500 ft
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea No 1000 ft
Tamarac Yes 2500 ft
Lauderhill Yes 1000 ft ("Yes" designation differs from other 1000 ft. cities)
Weston Yes 2500 ft
Lauderdale Lakes Yes 2500 ft
West Park Yes 2500 ft
Lighthouse Point Yes 2500 ft
Wilton Manors Yes 2250 ft (Hmmmm....ya gotta love Wilton Manors, giving our families an additional 250 feet. How forward thinking of WM city fathers and residents, of whom many were securely shuttered in their own hell once upon a time and not so very long ago.....)

Charlie Crist's Thoughts on the Julia Tuttle Causeway

Although Gov. Charlie Crist Senate recently informed the press that sunshine will ray all over campaign dollars contributed towards his 2010 Florida Senate race, apparently the offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway may never see the light of day. (Read more about those forced to live under the JT here).

From The Buzz, St. Petersburg Times (Charlie Crist says more sun will shine on his campaign cash, July 10, 2009):

(...)

Q: What about sex offenders under Julia Tuttle Causeway. Will you work to help resolve the situation?

Crist: "Well, always. We’ve been involved in that issue for awhile and really I think we have to respect what the local governments want to do. They’re trying to protect their people. protect their children.And they have these limits that exist, and we respect that. So we’ll look at the lawsuit and do the best we can to help resolve that.”

We've? We've who? How about "WE" as in not you, Governor?

And Charlie just a heads up. We, the family members and friends of those designated as offenders in this state have become quite the voting demographic and will guarantee you this.

WE will do the best we can to conclude your political career. And the 2010 primary sounds like a good date to me for your retirement from politics.

Florida Republicans, do your job August 2010. Vote this guy OUT of office FOR GOOD.

As for the media, keep asking the questions. Hold Crist accountable for Julia Tuttle.

Read more musings by Mr. Empty Suit here.

Throwing the Book at Broward County Schools

Remember my suggestion earlier this week, to keep an eye on the Broward County Schools construction scandal?

(...)

Seems the South Florida school system was "...ripped off to the tune of more than three-quarters of a million dollars by two contractors that performed unnecessary work or submitted inflated bills for repairs made to portable classrooms damaged by Hurricane Wilma."

Broward County Schools, Hurricane Wilma and Ron Book (Smashed Frog, 7/6/2009)

Well, Bob Norman over at The Daily Pulp has had his eyes all over this story for some time.

Allow me to direct Froggers his way for in depth coverage on both the situation and the entire cast of characters, including Florida's most involved lobbyist, Ron Book.

Snuggle up to your laptop and get ready for a great read.

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Auditor to AshBritt hurricane firm: Give School Board Back the $765,000 You Ripped Off!
(June 30, 2009)

School Board Machine Ramps Up Propaganda Campaign

(July 10, 2009)

Deputy School Superintendent Is "Appalled" By Employees
(April 19, 2009)

The Broward School Board awards a million dollars in work to an unlicensed company
(April 14, 2009)

(...)

It turns out that C&B, which is short for Crochet & Borel, was very busy in Broward during the weeks after Wilma. And the real drama for the company came not at the courthouse but at the Broward County School Board building across the street, where C&B received a million dollars for roofing work it never should have done.

A couple of weeks after the devastating storm hit, School Board records reveal, Deputy Superintendent Michael Garretson authorized the work after a meeting with C&B representatives and their well-known lobbyist.

The rushed nature of the award — there were no bids and no contract — might be forgiven because of the destruction wrought by Wilma. The problem was that C&B was neither prequalified as a contractor for the board nor licensed or insured to do any roofing work in Florida.

In other words, the entire job fell outside the law. But that didn't stop C&B from trying to charge the district at least twice for the services, according to board records.

Some might call that gouging. The School Board, which has a long history of corruption in its construction department, calls it business as usual.

"I've never seen it this bad," one official in the School Board construction department told me when I asked about the C&B case. "The construction department has become a shell game, if you ask me. It's not what you do around here; it's who you know. And that's the only reason they went with C&B, because somebody knew somebody."

C&B's "somebody" was big-time lobbyist Ron Book, who is definitely a good man to have on your side when you're looking to snare some taxpayers' money. Perhaps the most influential lobbyist in South Florida, Book represented the company in the meeting with Garretson, construction contracts director Denis Hermann, and project manager Joe DeLillo.

NIMBY Dan Gelber NEVER GOT Residency Restrictions

As the ACLU finally sues the City of Miami over the Julia Tuttle Causeway sex offender encampment (which apparently has over 140 people in residence due to the 2500 foot housing restrictions Miami has placed on those convicted of what Florida considers a sex offense, which could include sneezing at this point, who knows), this serves as a good time to remind all that Dave Aronberg has a contender for the Democratic nod for Attorney General.

That would be front-runner for the nod, state senator Dan Gelber.

With Gelber calling Miami home--and with the ACLU all over Miami--Florida sex offender residency restrictions have become THE out-of-the-closet issue for Gelber and Aronberg, both candidates hoping to become Florida's next Democratic AG.

It's time to hit AG candidates hard on the collateral damage of residency restrictions on families--who have committed no crime--yet are forced to live in dangerous neighborhoods in support of their registered loved one. (Read more about that impact here).

But back to Gelber.

Almost a year ago, Gelber was a NIMBY type. If he has since evolved, I can't find any trace. But of course, we'd all love to hear if the lights have finally turned on for Dan.
Because at least Dave is trying.

From Smashed Frog, Dan Gelber: NIMBY, 5/27/2008)

(...)

In Florida, many state legislators feel the laws against those convicted of a sex offense can't be too strict.

Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) is of such an opinion.

"I imagine if the state of Florida could simply expel sex predators they would," Gelber said. "I've always said on this issue, I think we should push the envelope and courts will push us back as appropriate."

(...)

Currently a state rep, Gelber led the charge against Florida state Senator Dave Aronberg's (D-Greenacres) failed bill that would have created a uniform statewide residency standard, preventing sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet from places children frequent.

Aronberg's proposed 1,500-foot statewide buffer actually increased distance by 500 feet; current state law dictates that sex offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of places such as schools, although dozens of Florida cities have adopted their own, tougher laws.

Places like New Port Richey and Miami Beach.

Oops. Miami Beach. That's where Dan calls home.

His defense of local control over residency restrictions sounds a lot like NIMBY thinking.

Gelber said he regularly checks the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site to keep track of the offenders in his neighborhood. He has to do whatever he can, he said, to keep offenders away from children -- including his own.

(Read more here).

TBO caught Gelber's take on residency restrictions during an May 2008 interview, Where Are Most Despised to Live, May 12, 2008.

And because such articles have a way of disappearing online, here it is, in it's entirety.

Where Are Most Despised to Live

Credit to NICOLA M. WHITE The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - No one likes them. And no one wants to be accused of defending them.

But state Sen. Dave Aronberg figured that even the most vilified members of society shouldn't be living under bridges, as a group of Miami sex offenders was doing last year because strict local laws eliminated almost all housing options for them.

So the Greenacres Democrat again pushed for a bill this legislative session that would create a uniform state standard for where certain types of sex offenders could live. If passed, the measure would have repealed standards enacted in places such as Miami Beach and New Port Richey, where sex offenders convicted of crimes against minors are prohibited from living within 2,500 feet of schools, day care centers and other places children gather.

Again, the legislation failed.

Although approved unanimously in the Senate, the bill died in the House, where lawmakers cringed at the idea of repealing popular local laws. In an election year, it was an even tougher sell, Aronberg said.

"Now, unfortunately, the problem's going to get worse before it gets better," he said.

Aronberg said he will push for the bill again next year. He will keep intact a loitering provision modeled after Hillsborough County's sex offender laws. In Hillsborough County, certain types of sex offenders are prohibited from lingering within 300 feet of places such as parks, schools and libraries.

"Legislators were shocked when I informed them that current law allows sex offenders to loiter in a park all day - to hang around a park with children all day," he said.

Sex Offender Ghettos

That part of the law didn't seem to chafe as many lawmakers as the residency restriction provision. Aronberg had proposed a uniform 1,500-foot statewide buffer; current state law dictates that sex offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of places such as schools, although dozens of Florida cities have adopted their own, tougher laws.

In densely populated cities, having a wider buffer often leaves almost no areas where sex offenders can legally live. That can send sex offenders to nearby communities with more relaxed laws, creating what critics call sex offender ghettos.

More worrisome, sex offender rehabilitation experts say, is that it is harder for local law enforcement agencies to track down homeless offenders than those with a legitimate address.

"It's not fair for any municipality to send its problems to neighboring municipalities," Aronberg said. "This is a statewide problem. It needs to be dealt with throughout the state."

Such arguments failed to sway enough legislators, many of whom argued it was impossible to make laws against sex offenders too strict.

Issue Hits Close To Home

Leading the charge against the bill was Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, a father of three children younger than 10 and a resident of Miami Beach, the first U.S. city to enact 2,500-foot buffers.

"I imagine if the state of Florida could simply expel sex predators they would," Gelber said. "I've always said on this issue, I think we should push the envelope and courts will push us back as appropriate."

The conflicting opinions show how emotional the debate can be.

Jill Levenson, a researcher at Lynn University who studies sex offender laws, wrote a letter to legislators this session saying no one wants to defend sex offenders, but there's no evidence that punitive housing restrictions prevent crimes.

However, in defending his position, Gelber said a convicted sex offender was arrested this month in his neighborhood, accused of exposing himself to young women. Gelber said he regularly checks the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site to keep track of the offenders in his neighborhood. He has to do whatever he can, he said, to keep offenders away from children - including his own.

"I've listened to police and the rehabilitation experts. They raise legitimate issues," Gelber said. "I still believe you can't just take away local control. You have to understand one size fits all has disparate effects on different communities."

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or nwhite1@tampatrib.com.

Dave Aronberg STILL Doesn't GET IT

Back in my college days, I lived a couple of neighborhoods south of Broadview Park, located in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale), Florida.

It wasn't a great neighborhood then and that was thirty plus years ago.

I'm not inferring Broadview is worse because residency restrictions have clustered offenders in the 'hood.

I'm stating offenders (the majority low-level offenders) and their families (wives, kids, etc) have been regulated (forced) to live in dangerous areas that I wouldn't walk a dog through.

That being said, the Sun Sentinel is reporting that Broadview has become one of the only areas in Broward County that citizens identified as sex offenders can legally live due to recently increased residency restrictions.

The Broward Sex Offender & Sexual Predator Residence Task Force was recently charged by the Broward County Commission with finding a way out of the conundrum created by sex offender residency restrictions have listened to experts, crunched numbers and discussed a dismaying array of unintended consequences and issued the following recommendations. (Read more about the recommendations of the task force here ).

Although AG candidate State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, "...plans to keep pushing for a bill to create a standardized, statewide 1,500-foot rule that would include a 24-hour child-protection zone, banning loitering around schools, parks and libraries. A statewide standard would avoid unintended colonies of sex offenders...", he still simply STILL does not get it.

Let me spell it out. It's incredibly difficult to find a home in a safe neighborhood under the current statewide residency rule of 1000 feet, a figure many municipalities increased, because they jumped aboard Ship Hysteria). Add five hundred feet and see how quickly a school, park, library or licensed day care center pops up on the old Google map.

Dave, you might as well suggest a Julia Tuttle, increasing the standard to 2500 feet as did the City of Miami, which resulted in a homeless camp under the now infamous JT causeway.

The Broward task force made one recommendation that would solve these ridiculous, backwater, finger-pointing, Scarlet Letter laws.

(...)

We also recommend that the legislature review the crimes that require registration and that Florida create a more refined, risk-based classification and tier system of offenders that might, in some circumstances, lead to individuals eventually being deleted from the registry but only upon meeting criteria established by statute and requiring judicial review.

I issue a challenge to fellow Democrat state senator DaveAronberg.

Call a realtor and go house hunting within the parameters of residency restrictions, including your recommendation of 1500 feet. And don't call just any realtor.

Call Paul H., the low level offender who sat as a member of the Broward Sex Offender & Sexual Predator Residence Task Force, who finally found a house somewhere out in the Everglades. (Read Educating Martin Kiar, 6/1/2009).

And take along a cop. (Call it a ride-along). Because you are going to need one.

While your phoning folks for the house hunt, Fred Grimm of the Miami Herald might be interested in tagging along. The columnist actually seems to GET IT.

For those who doubt my impression of Broadview Park, the area is currently in the midst of a summer crime spree which includes home and auto burglaries.

Per JustNews.com (6/24/09):

(...)

As soon as school lets out for the summer every year, Detective Dan Mellies of the Broward Sheriff's Office prepares for more break-ins. However, he never anticipated anything like the recent crime streak.

"They're picking out their houses very carefully. They kind of know when people come and go," he said.In the span of less than two months, Mellies said criminals burglarized 15 homes and 15 vehicles in the Broadview Park area.

Ah. There's no place like home.

Broward County Schools, Hurricane Wilma and Ron Book

In these tough economic times--especially for Florida's public schools--every dime counts.

That's where auditors come in...to find every last dime. And Broward County Schools are missing quite a few.

Seems the South Florida school system was "...ripped off to the tune of more than three-quarters of a million dollars by two contractors that performed unnecessary work or submitted inflated bills for repairs made to portable classrooms damaged by Hurricane Wilma."

More on the contractor later. More on who the the contractor hired to lobby on their behalf right now.

Guess who.

Yep. You guessed it. Smashed Frog's favorite Florida lobbyist: Ron Book.

Per the Sun Sentinel:

(...)

The district auditors' report, which will be finalized next week, calls for investigations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as state authorities.

The Sun Sentinel obtained a copy of the auditors' draft report, which also recommends the district demand a $765,608 refund from AshBritt Inc., a national disaster recovery company based in Pompano Beach, and one of the contractors scrutinized.

"There were clear signs of coercion and falsified documentation to facilitate the approvals and ultimately the recommendation to process payments to AshBritt, Inc.," the 48-page report from the auditors says. "Additionally, we believe the final documents submitted for payment were falsified and inflated."

The contractor's rebuttal?

(...)

"If anyone can show me where I did anything that was unscrupulous, that was remotely unprofessional in the way I conducted business… I will absolutely refund the school board their money," Perkins said in an interview. "I'll take the check to them myself."

The auditors' report says that after Hurricane Wilma swept across Broward County on Oct. 24, 2005, the school district hired C&B Services, a Texas-based contractor, to repair 84 portable classrooms, but the company over-billed the district by inflating lodging and food costs, double-billing for numerous repairs and doing unnecessary work.

The auditors said a district employee refused to pay C&B after noticing that the company lacked the required license and was billing at twice the normal rate.
At that point, the auditors said, AshBritt, which has the required license, asserted that it was the actual contractor, and that C&B was working for it. AshBritt then submitted bills on behalf of the Texas company and was ultimately paid.

Perkins, the AshBritt CEO, said C&B was licensed to do the work it performed and that it was also covered by AshBritt's general contractor license. According to Perkins, his own company has done an estimated $1.5 billion worth of disaster recovery and management work nationwide in the past 10 years.

According to the audit, less than two weeks after Wilma, on Nov. 2, 2005, Garretson met with two representatives of C&B Services, two other school district officials and lobbyist Ron Book. Throughout the district, roofs on portable classrooms damaged by the storm needed to be repaired or replaced. Water-logged walls, books and floors in the units needed to cleaned and dried so mold wouldn't grow.

Garretson ordered his staff to expedite paperwork on a $1 million purchase order so the Texas company could start working to repair the classrooms, the audit said. After C&B started sending its bills, a district employee sent an e-mail to supervisors telling them that the district was being charged at twice the industry norm for replacing the roofs, the auditors said. Staff members later sounded the alarm over the company's lack of a license. As some employees of the Broward school district were voicing concern over possible fraud, the auditors said, "it became a possibility that... others were trying to potentially cover it up." In the interview, Perkins of AshBritt said it was his business that contacted the school district first, and that it brought in the Texas company later. He said he may have had Book contact the school district, but that he could not remember "how it went down." Book could not be reached to comment.

According to the auditors, on Jan. 5, 2006, AshBritt received a purchase order from the district to do $3.1 million in Wilma-related work. By then, C&B Services was 11 days away from completing its job.

Perhaps it is Ron Book shouldn't be allowed within a certain distance of a school. But again, he's not talking....

Keep an eye on this story, Froggers.

Read more here and here.