Find Sex Offenders in Glades County

Glades County sex offenders are required to register with the Glades County Sheriff's Office in Moore Haven. This rural south-central Florida county sits on the western shore of Lake Okeechobee and is one of the least populated counties in the state, with about 15,000 residents. All registration information is submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement within 24 hours of processing, where it becomes part of the public statewide registry. The FDLE database lets anyone search for registered individuals in Glades County at no cost.

Glades County Sheriff's Office

The Glades County Sheriff's Office manages sex offender registration for this rural south-central Florida county centered on Lake Okeechobee. Like all Florida sheriff offices, Glades County forwards all registration data to FDLE within 24 hours of processing.

All registrations must be completed in person at the Glades County Sheriff's Office. The office collects photographs, fingerprints, and personal information from each registrant. There is no way to register remotely in Florida. New arrivals in Glades County have 48 hours from the time they establish a local presence to appear and complete their initial registration. This deadline applies to people coming from other Florida counties, from other states, and to those released from jail or prison into Glades County.

The Glades County Sheriff's Office coordinates with FDLE and neighboring county sheriff offices when registrants move across county lines. Deputies may conduct compliance checks at registered addresses to confirm that individuals are living where they have reported. If a registrant cannot be located at their registered address, the case may be referred for criminal charges of failure to register.

Registration Requirements in Glades County

Florida Statute § 943.0435 is the law that sets registration requirements for sex offenders throughout Florida, including Glades County. The statute applies to all people with qualifying convictions, whether those convictions are from Florida or from another jurisdiction. Moving to Glades County does not change a person's registration obligations. If a conviction would require registration in Florida, it triggers registration in Glades County when the person moves here.

First-time registrants in Glades County must appear at the sheriff's office within 48 hours of arriving. After that initial registration, the check-in schedule depends on the registrant's classification. Standard sex offenders must re-register twice a year, in the month of their birth and the month that falls six months after it. Sexual predators must re-register four times a year, once every three months. The extra frequency for predators reflects the elevated risk classification assigned by the court at sentencing.

Any change in a registrant's personal information must be reported to the Glades County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours. Changes that trigger this requirement include a new address, a new job location, enrollment in a school, a new or changed vehicle, a new phone number, and any new email address or online identifier. All of these updates require an in-person visit. A phone call is not enough.

People without a fixed address who live in Glades County as transients must check in every 30 days. They must describe the locations where they spend time even without a permanent home. For most qualifying offenders, Florida registration is a lifetime obligation. There is a legal process to petition for removal from the registry, but the courts grant it only in limited circumstances. Failure to register when required is a third-degree felony. A second failure is a second-degree felony.

Sexual Predators vs. Sexual Offenders

Two labels appear on the FDLE registry: sexual predator and sex offender. These are not interchangeable terms in Florida law. The distinction affects how often a person must register, what law enforcement must do when they move, and how they are listed in the public database.

Sexual predators are designated by the court under Florida Statute § 775.21. The designation applies to those convicted of the most serious sexual offenses and to repeat sexual offenders. Courts must make this finding explicitly at sentencing. When a sexual predator moves into a new area, law enforcement must notify residents and nearby institutions such as schools and daycares. Predators must check in every three months in Glades County.

Sex offenders are covered under § 943.0435. This category is broader and includes people convicted of qualifying sexual offenses who do not meet the threshold for the predator label. They register twice a year. Community notification for offenders follows less intensive procedures than for predators. Both types appear in the same FDLE search results for Glades County, with each record clearly labeled.

Searching the Glades County Registry

FDLE maintains the free, publicly searchable sex offender registry for all of Florida, including Glades County. The database requires no login and no fee. Anyone can search for registrants in Glades County at any time. FDLE updates the database as data comes in from local sheriff offices.

Go to the FDLE Sex Offender Search and filter by Glades County to see a list of all currently registered individuals in the county. You can also search by name if you are looking for someone specific, or by ZIP code to focus on a particular area such as Moore Haven. Each result includes a photograph, the registrant's reported address, physical description, and the offense that required registration.

Given the small size of Glades County, the total number of registrants is limited. But the county's rural character means that registrants can live in close proximity to many residents despite the low population density. Checking the registry by address radius can show you who is registered within a set distance of any location in the county, which is more useful than a county-wide list in many cases.

The FDLE search database at offender.fdle.state.fl.us lets you filter by county to find all registered sex offenders and predators currently reported in Glades County.

Residency Restrictions in Glades County

Florida Statute § 775.215 bars sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, park, or playground. The measurement runs from property line to property line. In Glades County's small communities, this restriction can be particularly limiting because the available housing stock is small to begin with and the protected zones can cover a significant portion of town.

Local governments in Florida may enact rules that are stricter than the state minimum. Glades County or its municipalities may have ordinances that expand the restricted zone or add protected locations. Registrants considering a move to Glades County should check both state law and any local ordinances before choosing an address. Contacting the Glades County Sheriff's Office directly is the most reliable way to confirm whether a specific address is within a restricted zone. Being unaware of the restriction is not a legal defense if charges are filed.

Florida Offender Alert

The Florida Offender Alert system lets residents sign up for free email notifications about sex offender activity near any Florida address. You choose the address to monitor and a radius around it. The system watches the FDLE registry and sends you an email whenever a registrant moves, registers for the first time, or updates their information within your chosen area in Glades County.

This is a useful tool in a county like Glades, where checking the FDLE site manually every few weeks may not be practical. Once you set up a watch, the system does the monitoring for you. Setup is free and takes just a few minutes at the Florida Offender Alert website. You can monitor multiple addresses if you want to track more than one location.

Cities in Glades County

Glades County has no cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. The county seat, Moore Haven, is the largest community in the county. All sex offender registrations in Glades County go through the Glades County Sheriff's Office regardless of which community the registrant lives in.

Nearby Counties

Glades County borders five other Florida counties. FDLE maintains a single searchable registry for all of them. Each county handles local registration through its own sheriff's office.