The Villages Sex Offender Lookup
Sex offenders in The Villages, Florida must register with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, which handles the majority of registration for this multi-county community. The FDLE public registry is the primary tool for searching registered sex offenders across all parts of The Villages.
The Villages Quick Facts
The Villages Sex Offender Registration
The Villages is a large planned retirement community that spans parts of Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties. Most of the residential population is concentrated in Sumter County, and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office is the primary agency for sex offender registration in The Villages. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office is located at 7361 Powell Rd, Wildwood, FL 34785. The phone number is (352) 793-2621. Residents who live in the portions of The Villages that fall within Lake or Marion counties must register with the respective sheriff's office for that county. Determining which county your address falls in is the first step. County lines run through the community, and an address on one street may be in a different county from an address on the next block over.
Under Florida Statute § 943.0435, all sex offenders must register within 48 hours of establishing a residence. This 48-hour clock starts the moment the offender moves in, not when they get around to it. Registration must be done in person at the appropriate sheriff's office. Bringing all required documents, including government-issued photo identification, proof of residence, and vehicle registration, will make the process go faster. Attempting to register by phone or online is not permitted for the initial registration. Subsequent re-registrations also require in-person appearances.
Searching Sex Offenders in The Villages
Because The Villages covers multiple counties, searching for sex offenders requires a slightly different approach than for a standard city. The FDLE sex offender search portal allows you to search by county name, city, or zip code. You can search "The Villages" as a city name, or search by zip code. The Villages area zip codes include 32159, 32162, 32163, and 32164, among others. Running separate searches by zip code will give you the most complete view of registered offenders across all three county portions of the community. Each FDLE result includes the offender's current photo, registered address, and offense description. Records update as offenders re-register or report changes. Free email alerts are available through Florida Offender Alert. You set a geographic area and receive notifications when a registered offender moves in or out of that zone.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office website has additional information about local sex offender monitoring and enforcement. The Villages official site is primarily a community and real estate resource and does not maintain a separate sex offender database.
Registration Requirements for The Villages Offenders
Florida law sets different re-registration schedules depending on an offender's classification. Sexual offenders, covered under Florida Statute § 943.0435, must re-register twice per year. Sexual predators, who are classified under Florida Statute § 775.21, must re-register four times per year. At each re-registration, the offender must confirm or update all information on file. That information includes current home address, employer name and address, vehicle information, phone numbers, email addresses, and any internet identifiers or screen names. If any of this information changes between re-registrations, the offender must report the change within 48 hours. That includes changing vehicles, getting a new phone number, or starting a new job. Missing a re-registration or failing to report a change is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison.
Transient offenders, those without a fixed address, must report to their county sheriff's office every 30 days. In The Villages context, a transient who moves between the three-county portions of the community may need to coordinate with multiple sheriff's offices depending on where they are staying at any given time. This makes compliance more complicated for transient offenders in multi-county communities like The Villages.
Residency Restrictions in The Villages
Florida's statewide rule under § 775.215 prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of any school, daycare center, park, playground, or similar location where children are present. The Villages is primarily a retirement community and has a different demographic profile from most Florida cities. However, the residency restriction still applies to any registered offender who moves there. Common areas, recreational centers, and parks within the community may trigger the 1,000-foot buffer zone. Offenders should verify any intended address with the relevant sheriff's office before establishing residence. Living within a restricted zone is not a minor infraction. It is a criminal offense separate from the registration requirements.
Note: Because The Villages spans three counties, the applicable sheriff's office for residency restriction questions depends on which county the specific address falls in. Verify your county first, then contact that county's sheriff.
The Sumter County Sheriff's resource page provides guidance on how sex offender registration works for residents of The Villages.
Residents can use this along with the FDLE portal to search for registered sex offenders in the Sumter County portion of The Villages.
Sumter County Court Records
The Villages falls primarily in the 5th Judicial Circuit, which covers Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties. Court records tied to sex offense convictions are available through the Sumter County Clerk of the Circuit Court. These records include criminal case filings, sentencing documents, and probation orders. For portions of The Villages in Lake or Marion counties, the relevant clerk's office for that county handles those records. Court records are generally public but may be partially restricted in cases involving minor victims or where a court has sealed specific documents. The FDLE registry summarizes conviction information, but full case records provide a much more detailed picture of an individual's history.
View Sumter County Sex OffendersNearby Cities with Sex Offender Registries
Other Florida cities near The Villages maintain public sex offender records through FDLE and their local sheriff's offices.