Search DeSoto County Sex Offenders

DeSoto County sex offenders and sexual predators are registered with the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office in Arcadia, and all registrant information is publicly accessible through the FDLE statewide database at no charge.

DeSoto County Sheriff's Office Sex Offender Registration

The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office processes sex offender and sexual predator registrations for DeSoto County in south-central Florida. Any person convicted of a qualifying sexual offense who establishes a residence, works, or regularly spends time in DeSoto County must register in person with the sheriff's office in Arcadia. Out-of-state convictions are included if the offense would qualify for registration under Florida law.

All registrants in DeSoto County appear in the FDLE statewide database within 24 hours of registration. That quick turnaround means the public record is current and reflects recent address changes or new registrations as soon as the sheriff's office processes them.

Registration must be done in person at the Arcadia office. Call ahead to confirm hours and what documents to bring. At a minimum, bring a valid Florida ID or driver's license, court documents related to the qualifying conviction, and proof of your current address. If you are registering after moving from another state, bring all available records from the original jurisdiction. Staff use those records to assign the correct registration category and set your re-registration schedule.

During registration, staff take a photograph, collect a full physical description, and document the registrant's address, all vehicles, phone numbers, and every electronic identifier including email accounts and social media handles. That information is transmitted to FDLE for the public database. Going forward, any change to any of those details must be reported to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours of the change occurring. That 48-hour clock starts the moment the change happens, not at the next scheduled visit.

All registrants in DeSoto County appear in the FDLE statewide database within 24 hours of registration.

Registration Requirements in DeSoto County

Florida's registration rules apply uniformly across every county, and DeSoto County follows the same framework set by Florida Statute § 943.0435. Each registration visit requires the registrant to provide their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, physical description, current and any temporary addresses, all vehicle information, phone numbers, and every email address and online account they use. The full list is required every time, not just on first registration.

Standard sex offenders must re-register twice per year. One visit falls within the registrant's birthday month. The second comes six months after that. Sexual predators must re-register quarterly, four times per year, once every three months. The extra visits for predators reflect the elevated risk level that comes with the court-ordered designation.

Transient registrants face a stricter schedule still. Anyone without a stable address must check in with the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office every 30 days. The monthly requirement applies as long as the transient situation continues and runs alongside any standard re-registration obligations, not instead of them.

The 48-hour change reporting rule is firm and has no exceptions for weekends or holidays. A new address, new vehicle, new phone number, or new email account all require a report to the sheriff's office within two days. Waiting until a scheduled re-registration visit is not acceptable. In most cases, the registration obligation in Florida is permanent. The statute specifies lifetime registration, and that applies in DeSoto County just as it does everywhere else in the state.

Sexual Offenders and Predators in DeSoto County

Florida law maintains two separate registration categories, and understanding both matters for anyone using the public registry or registered in DeSoto County.

Sexual offenders are people convicted of qualifying sexual offenses under Florida law or comparable offenses from another state. They follow a twice-yearly re-registration schedule, report changes within 48 hours, and must comply with residency restrictions. Their records are public in the FDLE database, but the state does not conduct mandatory community notification for this group. Neighbors and nearby residents are not automatically informed when a standard offender registers in the area.

Sexual predators have a court-ordered designation that goes beyond the conviction itself. Florida Statute § 775.21 establishes the legal criteria. A predator designation requires a specific finding by the court. Once applied, it triggers quarterly re-registration, four times per year, and subjects the person to active community notification. Law enforcement may notify neighbors when a predator establishes or changes a residence. Both categories appear in the same FDLE database, but predator profiles are marked clearly so searches can distinguish between the two groups.

Search DeSoto County Sex Offenders Online

The FDLE sex offender search portal is the main tool for looking up DeSoto County registrants. The search is free and requires no account. Filter by DeSoto County to see all active registrations, or search by city, ZIP code, or name for more specific results. Each result includes the registrant's photo, physical description, registered address, offense history, and predator designation if applicable.

Radius searches are useful for checking who is registered near a school, park, or home address. Enter any address in DeSoto County, set a search distance, and the database returns all registrants within that range. Photos and conviction details are included in every result.

For checking someone's history from another state, the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) aggregates data from all participating states and territories. It is a free federal resource that works for cross-state lookups before someone appears in Florida's system.

The FDLE search portal lets you look up DeSoto County registrants by county filter, city, ZIP code, or proximity to a street address.

Residency Restrictions in DeSoto County

Florida's residency law applies across all of DeSoto County. Under § 775.215, no registered sex offender or sexual predator may live within 1,000 feet of a school, childcare center, park, playground, or any other location where children routinely gather. The 1,000-foot buffer is measured from property line to property line, not from a building entrance.

Temporary addresses are subject to the same rule as permanent ones. A registrant who tries to stay at a restricted location even for a brief period is in violation. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office verifies new addresses against restricted locations during registration. A non-compliant address will be flagged before registration is finalized.

Arcadia and other communities in DeSoto County may have local ordinances that add stricter limits beyond the state's 1,000-foot standard. It is the registrant's responsibility to confirm local rules before selecting a new address. Finding out after the fact does not excuse the violation.

Florida Offender Alert for DeSoto County

DeSoto County residents can receive free email alerts when a sex offender or sexual predator registers in or near their area. The service is called Florida Offender Alert. You select the ZIP codes you want to monitor, and the system sends an email whenever a registration change occurs in those areas. No manual searching is needed.

Alerts are free. There is no subscription cost. Each alert includes the registrant's photo and their registered address so you can see who is nearby and where they are located. The service is practical for parents, schools, neighborhood groups, and any resident who wants timely information without checking the FDLE database on their own schedule. Visit the Florida Offender Alert website to set up your notifications.

Cities in DeSoto County

DeSoto County's communities, including Arcadia, do not currently meet the population threshold for dedicated city pages on this site. All sex offender and sexual predator registrations for every part of DeSoto County go through the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office at 208 E Oak St in Arcadia, regardless of where in the county the registrant lives.

Nearby Counties

Sex offenders moving out of DeSoto County must notify the sheriff and register with the new county's sheriff's office within 48 hours of relocating. Each neighboring county runs its own registration and compliance program under Florida's statewide registration law.