Find Sex Offenders in Holmes County

Holmes County sex offenders and sexual predators register with the Holmes County Sheriff's Office in Bonifay, and all current registrants in the county appear in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement statewide database, which is free to search and open to the public. Holmes County is a rural Panhandle county of roughly 22,000 people, and while the number of registrants is smaller than in larger urban counties, the same Florida state registration rules apply here without exception.

Holmes County Sheriff's Office Sex Offender Registration

The Holmes County Sheriff's Office oversees sex offender registration for Holmes County in the Florida Panhandle. Every person convicted of a qualifying sexual offense who lives, works, or regularly visits Holmes County must register in person at the sheriff's office. That requirement does not depend on whether the conviction came from a Florida court. Out-of-state convictions also trigger registration here if the underlying offense would be registerable under Florida law.

Registration is an in-person process. There is no option to register by mail or through an online portal. When you come in, staff will record your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, home address, physical description, vehicle information, phone numbers, and all electronic account identifiers including email and social media. A photograph and fingerprints are taken at that time. Bring a valid state-issued ID and any court documents connected to your conviction. If you are moving to Holmes County from another county or state, bring your prior registration records so staff can confirm your tier and schedule.

After registration, the sheriff's office sends your data to the FDLE, and your record appears in the public statewide database. Any changes to your address, vehicle, phone number, or online accounts must be reported to the Holmes County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours. That window runs every day, including weekends. Despite its rural character, Holmes County follows the same Florida state registration requirements that apply in every county statewide.

Registration Requirements in Holmes County

Florida Statute § 943.0435 governs sex offender registration throughout Florida, including Holmes County. The statute specifies who must register, what they must disclose, how often they must appear in person, and what consequences follow for non-compliance. The small size and rural setting of Holmes County do not modify or reduce any of these obligations.

Standard sex offenders must re-register twice per year. The first required appearance is during your birth month. The second comes six months later. Sexual predators face a more frequent schedule. They must re-register four times per year, once every three months. That higher frequency reflects the elevated risk level associated with the predator designation.

Transient registrants, those without a fixed address, must check in with the Holmes County Sheriff's Office every 30 days. Living without a stable home does not exempt you from registration. The 30-day cycle applies whenever you cannot provide a consistent physical address. You must report your current location at each monthly visit, even if that location changes from one month to the next.

The 48-hour rule is strict and broad. Any change to your address, vehicle, phone, email, or place of work must be reported within two days. You cannot save those updates for your next scheduled visit. The obligation to register in Florida does not expire. In most cases the law sets no end date. Registration is for life, and failure to comply is a third-degree felony under Florida law.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in Holmes County

Florida's registry covers two distinct categories of people: sexual offenders and sexual predators. Both appear in the FDLE public database, but they operate under different rules and different levels of public notification.

Sexual offenders are people convicted of certain sexual crimes under Florida law, or crimes committed in other states that would require registration if they had taken place in Florida. They must re-register twice a year, report any changes within 48 hours, and comply with residency restrictions. Their records are available in the FDLE database. The state does not, however, conduct active community notification for standard offenders. Any member of the public can search for them, but no formal program alerts neighbors when one moves in nearby.

Sexual predators are people who have been formally designated through a court process. The predator designation is not automatic. A court must find that the person meets the criteria set out in Florida Statute § 775.21. Predators must re-register four times per year instead of two, and they are subject to active community notification. When a predator moves to a new address in Holmes County, the sheriff may notify nearby residents and community organizations. Both offenders and predators appear in the same FDLE database. Predator records are clearly labeled so users can tell the two categories apart.

Search Holmes County Sex Offenders Online

The FDLE sex offender search portal covers all registered offenders and predators in Holmes County. The tool is free and requires no account. You can search by county, city, ZIP code, or registrant name. A radius search lets you find everyone registered within a certain distance from a specific address, which can be useful when checking the area around a home or school.

Search results include each registrant's current photo, physical description, registered address, offense history, and predator or offender status. The database is updated as registrations and changes come in from the Holmes County Sheriff's Office. Holmes County is small, so results for the county will typically show a shorter list than larger urban counties, but the search process and information displayed are the same across the whole state.

For checking the history of someone coming to Holmes County from another state, the National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov is a free federal resource that searches registries across all participating states. Once a person sets up residence in Florida, they must register here, and their record will then appear in the FDLE database.

Despite its rural character, Holmes County follows the same Florida state registration requirements that apply in every county statewide.

Residency Restrictions in Holmes County

Florida's residency restriction law, § 775.215, prohibits registered sex offenders and sexual predators from living within 1,000 feet of any school, childcare facility, park, playground, or location where children regularly gather. The measurement is taken from property line to property line. That restriction applies everywhere in Florida, including the rural areas of Holmes County where these types of locations may be spread out but are still present.

The restriction applies to both permanent and temporary stays. A registrant cannot sleep at an address inside the 1,000-foot buffer zone, even briefly. The Holmes County Sheriff's Office verifies addresses against these restrictions as part of the registration process. An address that falls within the protected zone will not be accepted. The registrant must find a compliant location before the registration can be completed.

Individual towns within Holmes County may have their own local ordinances that extend or add to the state restriction. Bonifay and other incorporated communities can set stricter rules within their limits. Registrants should check local rules before committing to a new address. Moving to a non-compliant location, even by accident, is still a violation.

The FDLE registry homepage is the starting point for all public sex offender searches in Florida, including Holmes County registrants in the Panhandle region.

Florida Offender Alert Notifications for Holmes County

Holmes County residents can sign up for free email notifications through Florida Offender Alert. The service monitors the ZIP codes you select and sends an alert when a registered sex offender or sexual predator moves into or within that area. Each notification includes the person's photo and their registered address.

The service is free. You choose the ZIP codes you want to monitor, and the system handles the rest. It is a straightforward way to stay informed without checking the FDLE database on a regular schedule. You can monitor more than one ZIP code, so covering your home area and nearby communities at the same time is easy.

Cities in Holmes County

Bonifay is the county seat and largest community in Holmes County, but it and other towns in the county do not meet the population threshold for dedicated city pages on this site. All sex offender and sexual predator registrations for every community and unincorporated area in Holmes County are processed through the Holmes County Sheriff's Office at 1009 E Byrd Ave in Bonifay.

Nearby Counties

Registrants who move out of Holmes County must notify the sheriff and register in their destination county within 48 hours. Surrounding counties in the Florida Panhandle each have their own sheriff's office and registration process under the statewide framework.