Search Gadsden County Sex Offenders

Gadsden County sex offenders must register with the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office in Quincy, the county seat. Located west of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, Gadsden County is the only majority-Black county in Florida and home to roughly 48,000 residents. The sheriff's office handles all local registration and forwards data to FDLE, which maintains the public registry. Residents of Gadsden County can search the registry by county or ZIP code to see who is registered nearby and review their reported addresses and offenses.

Gadsden County Sheriff's Office

The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office in Quincy is the sole point of contact for sex offender registration in the county. All registrants must appear in person at this office when they first arrive in Gadsden County and at every required re-registration interval. The sheriff's office collects photographs, fingerprints, and detailed personal information before transmitting everything to FDLE within 24 hours. No online or mail-based registration is available.

Deputies at the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office may conduct compliance checks to verify that registrants are living at their reported addresses. If a registrant cannot be found at their listed location, law enforcement can pursue charges for failure to register. Contacting the office before your registration date is helpful, as processing can take time and appointments may be needed during busy periods.

The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office works directly with FDLE and with neighboring county sheriffs to track offenders who move across county lines. If you have a concern about a registrant in Gadsden County who may not be complying with their registration requirements, you can contact the sheriff's office directly.

Registration Requirements in Gadsden County

Florida's registration statute, Florida Statute § 943.0435, governs all sex offender registration in Gadsden County. Every person with a qualifying conviction must comply with this statute regardless of how long ago the offense occurred or whether it happened in Florida or another state. Out-of-state convictions that would require registration under Florida law trigger the same local obligations when the person moves to Gadsden County.

New registrants must appear at the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours of establishing a residence in the county. This window applies whether the person is moving from another Florida county, arriving from out of state, or being released from a correctional facility into Gadsden County. The 48-hour deadline is strict. Courts have consistently held that the registrant bears the responsibility for meeting it, not the supervising agency.

Once registered, standard sex offenders in Gadsden County re-register twice a year. The two required months are the registrant's birth month and the month that falls six months later. Sexual predators must return to the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office every three months, which means four registration visits per year. Both types of registrants must also report any address change, new vehicle, new phone number, new email, or change in employment within 48 hours. Each of these updates requires an in-person appearance.

Transient registrants who live in Gadsden County without a fixed address must report to the sheriff's office every 30 days. They must provide the locations where they typically sleep, eat, and spend time. Registration in Florida does not expire. For most offenses, registration is a lifetime requirement. Missing a required check-in or providing false information is a third-degree felony in Florida. A repeat violation bumps to a second-degree felony.

Sexual Predators vs. Sexual Offenders

Florida law separates registered individuals into two categories. The label matters because it affects how often someone must register and what kind of public notification law enforcement must provide to the community.

Sexual predators receive their designation from the court at sentencing under Florida Statute § 775.21. This designation applies to people convicted of the most serious sexual offenses or to repeat sexual offenders. The court must formally apply the predator label, and it does not happen automatically. Predators must register four times a year in Gadsden County. When a predator moves into a new area, law enforcement is required to actively notify nearby residents and institutions such as schools and daycares.

Sex offenders are governed by § 943.0435 and include a wider group of qualifying offenders. They register twice a year. The community notification process for offenders is less intensive than for predators, though all of them appear in the same public FDLE database. If you search the registry for Gadsden County, the record for each individual will clearly show whether they are classified as a sexual predator or a sex offender.

Searching the Gadsden County Registry

Anyone can search for sex offenders registered in Gadsden County at no cost through the FDLE database. The registry is updated continuously as the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office sends new data to FDLE. You do not need to provide a reason for searching or create an account. The tool is open to the public.

Visit the FDLE Sex Offender Search page and choose Gadsden County from the county dropdown menu. You can also search by the registrant's name if you are looking for a specific person, or by ZIP code if you want to check a particular neighborhood in Quincy or elsewhere in the county. Each result includes the registrant's photograph, current reported address, physical description, and the offense that triggered registration.

The FDLE registry covers everyone currently required to register in Florida, including those living in Gadsden County. Results show both sexual predators and sex offenders in one list, with each person's classification clearly labeled. Because the registry reflects the last address reported to the sheriff's office, it is as current as the registrant's most recent check-in.

The FDLE registry at offender.fdle.state.fl.us covers all 67 Florida counties, including Gadsden County. No login is required to search.

The FDLE search portal allows county-level filtering so you can view all registrants currently reported in Gadsden County.

Residency Restrictions in Gadsden County

Florida Statute § 775.215 prohibits convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, park, or playground. The measurement is taken from property line to property line. In Quincy and other Gadsden County communities, this restriction eliminates many residential areas from consideration, particularly near schools and public parks that serve families.

Local governments in Florida may also pass their own ordinances that add stricter rules or expand the list of protected locations. Gadsden County residents and anyone planning to move to the county should check both the state law and any active local ordinances before selecting a home address. The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office can help identify which addresses fall within restricted zones. Moving into a prohibited area, even without knowing it, does not provide a legal defense against a violation charge.

Florida Offender Alert

The Florida Offender Alert service sends free email notifications when a registered sex offender or sexual predator moves near an address you track. You can sign up for any address in Florida, including your home, a school, or a family member's location in Gadsden County. The system monitors the FDLE registry and notifies you when someone registers, changes address, or makes any update within the area you selected.

This is a practical way to stay current on who is registered near you in Gadsden County without checking the FDLE site manually each time. Setup takes only a few minutes at the Florida Offender Alert website. The service is free and does not require you to share anything beyond an email address and the location you want to monitor.

Cities in Gadsden County

Gadsden County has no cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. Communities in the county include Quincy, Chattahoochee, Gretna, Greensboro, and Havana. Residents of all these towns register sex offenders through the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office in Quincy.

Nearby Counties

Gadsden County borders four other Florida counties. Each maintains its own local registration process through its sheriff's office while FDLE maintains the unified statewide registry.