Lake County Sex Offender Registry

Lake County sex offenders and sexual predators register in person at the Lake County Sheriff's Office in Tavares, with all records searchable through the FDLE statewide database that is free and open to the public.

Lake County Sheriff's Office Offender Registration

The Lake County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is the designated agency for sex offender and sexual predator registration in Lake County. Registration must happen in person at the LCSO Offender Registration office located at 551 West Main Street, Tavares, Florida 32778. The direct phone number for the registration office is (352) 742-4036. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office is closed on weekends and county holidays.

There is no option for mail-in or online registration. Florida law requires in-person appearance for all registrations, whether it is an initial registration following a conviction or a periodic re-registration. Anyone who has recently been released from incarceration or who has moved into Lake County from another county or state must report to the LCSO registration office within 48 hours of arriving. That deadline applies immediately upon entering the county. It does not start from when the office happens to be open.

If you arrive during hours when the office is closed, you are still required to appear as soon as the office reopens, provided that falls within the 48-hour window. If you have questions about timing or scheduling, call (352) 742-4036 before arriving. LCSO staff can clarify what is required and when you need to come in.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office website provides registration details, public safety resources, and links to the FDLE sex offender search tool.

The LCSO site is the local starting point for sex offender registration information and public safety resources in Lake County.

What Lake County Registrants Must Report

The LCSO registration process collects a comprehensive set of personal information as required by Florida state law. Every registrant must provide their full legal name, Social Security number, age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and eye color. A current photograph is taken at each registration visit. The registrant's permanent residential address is required, and any temporary addresses must also be disclosed. A post office box cannot be used in place of a physical street address. That is an explicit requirement under Florida law, and Lake County enforces it.

All electronic contact information must be reported. That includes every email address the registrant uses and every instant messaging account. Employment dates and locations are also collected, along with the date and place of each conviction. Fingerprints are taken. The registrant provides a brief description of the crime or crimes involved in their conviction. All of that information goes into the FDLE database and is visible to anyone who searches the public registry.

Vehicle and vessel residences require additional disclosures. If a registrant lives in a motor vehicle, trailer, mobile home, or manufactured home, they must also provide the vehicle identification number, license tag number, registration number, and a physical description of the vehicle including its color scheme. For anyone living on a vessel, live-aboard boat, or houseboat, the required information includes the hull identification number, manufacturer's serial number, name of the vessel, registration number, and a physical description including color scheme. These are not optional. Failing to provide required information is a criminal violation.

Lake County Sex Offender Search Tools

The LCSO notes that a search tool is available for the public to find sex offenders and predators within a specified radius in Lake County. That radius search feature is built into the FDLE sex offender search system. You enter an address, choose a search radius in miles, and the tool returns all registered sex offenders and predators with active addresses within that area. It works for any address in Lake County, from Tavares to Eustis to unincorporated areas throughout the county.

Searching by Lake County directly returns the full list of active registrants in the county. Each result includes a photo, physical description, registered address, and offense information. The search tool separates sexual predator profiles from standard sex offender profiles, with predators clearly labeled. If you are looking for a specific person, a name search is the fastest method. If you want to know who is registered near a specific location, the radius search is the better approach.

The FDLE registry homepage also has a map-based interface. You can zoom into Lake County and see pins representing registered offenders. Clicking a pin brings up the registrant's profile. That visual approach helps give a sense of where registrations are concentrated in the county without needing to run multiple searches.

The LCSO public safety page provides additional tools and guidance for Lake County residents seeking sex offender information.

The LCSO Stay Safe page gives residents direct access to sex offender search tools and other public safety resources relevant to Lake County.

Florida Statutes That Govern Lake County Registration

Lake County sex offender registration follows the requirements of Florida Statute § 943.0435, which establishes who qualifies as a sex offender under state law and defines all registration obligations. Standard sex offenders re-register twice a year, every six months. Any address change, vehicle change, new phone number, or new email address must be reported within 48 hours of the change occurring. That requirement does not pause for weekends or holidays.

The sexual predator designation is separate and more restrictive. Under § 775.21, the predator label requires a formal court order. Once designated, a predator must re-register every three months rather than every six. The quarterly schedule means four in-person registration visits to the LCSO per year. Community notification requirements for predators are also more extensive than for standard offenders.

Residency restrictions under § 775.215 bar all registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, park, playground, or similar location where children gather. Those restrictions apply throughout Lake County, in both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. Failure to register when required, failure to report changes within 48 hours, or providing false information during registration are all third-degree felonies. Penalties range up to five years in prison per violation.

Setting Up Neighborhood Alerts in Lake County

Lake County residents can sign up for free email alerts through Florida Offender Alert. The service sends notifications any time a registered sex offender or sexual predator registers or updates an address within an area you specify. You choose the ZIP codes or geographic areas you want the system to monitor. From there, alerts arrive automatically whenever a registration change occurs in those areas.

Manual registry searches are useful, but they only show the current snapshot. The alert system adds a time dimension by catching changes as they happen. Someone who moves into your neighborhood between your last search and your next one would not show up in a manual check until you happen to look. The alert system removes that gap. For parents, property managers, and anyone who wants continuous awareness, the service does the monitoring for you.

The FDLE statewide registry at offender.fdle.state.fl.us and the National Sex Offender Public Website both remain available for one-time and ongoing searches. Using the alert system alongside direct registry searches gives the most complete picture of who is registered in Lake County and when their information changes.

Cities in Lake County

Lake County includes several cities and communities, including Tavares, Leesburg, Clermont, Eustis, and Mount Dora. None currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Residents in all Lake County cities and unincorporated areas register at the LCSO office in Tavares, and their records appear in the FDLE county search under Lake County.

Nearby Counties

Sex offenders who move out of Lake County must notify the LCSO and then register with the Sheriff's Office of their destination county within 48 hours of relocating. Neighboring counties handle registration through their own offices.