Monroe County Sex Offenders

Monroe County Sheriff and Sex Offender Registration

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office (Keys Sheriff) manages sex offender registration for the Florida Keys, including Key West, Marathon, and Key Largo. Every person convicted of a qualifying sex offense who lives, works, or regularly spends time in Monroe County must register in person with the sheriff. Key West Police and other local agencies in the Keys do not handle sex offender registrations. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is the only registration authority for the county.

Monroe County's unique geography stretching along the Overseas Highway creates registration challenges that other counties do not face. Registrants may live on different islands, and travel times to the sheriff's office can be significant. Despite the logistics, Florida law does not allow any accommodation for geographic inconvenience. All registration deadlines and requirements apply the same way in Monroe County as they do elsewhere in the state.

Anyone establishing any residence in Monroe County must register in person at the sheriff's office in Key West within 48 hours. The 48-hour clock starts upon arrival in the county, not upon finding a permanent address. Seasonal residents and people staying on boats long-term may have registration obligations that are not always obvious. Call (305) 292-7000 to confirm registration hours and ask about any location-specific questions before making the trip to Key West.

Monroe County's proximity to Miami-Dade County means that some registrants commute into the Miami area for work. Spending significant time regularly in Miami-Dade or Collier County can create a registration obligation in those counties as well. If you commute or travel regularly to another county, contact that county's sheriff's office to ask about multi-county registration requirements.

Registration Requirements in Monroe County

The governing statute for sex offender registration in Florida is Florida Statute § 943.0435. That statute applies uniformly across all 67 counties, including Monroe. Registered sex offenders must report to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office twice per year. Sexual predators must report four times per year. Both groups must report any time a registered detail changes within 48 hours of the change.

The 48-hour change rule is one of the most important deadlines in the statute. Any new address, new vehicle, new employer, new phone number, or new online account must be reported to the sheriff within two days. The rule applies on weekends and holidays. Living on an island does not create any exception. Many people lose their freedom over this deadline alone, assuming they had until the next scheduled check-in to report a change.

Transient offenders without a stable address in Monroe County must report every 30 days. Monroe County has a significant population of people who live aboard vessels or who move between temporary residences in the Keys. If you do not have a fixed registered address, you are classified as transient under Florida law and must report on the 30-day cycle. The law does not distinguish between living on land or aboard a boat. Both situations require in-person registration if Monroe County is your primary location.

Registration in Florida is a lifetime obligation in most cases. No automatic removal occurs after a set number of years. A court order is required to be removed from the registry, and those are rarely granted. Providing false information at any registration, or deliberately leaving anything out, is a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of five years in state prison.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in Monroe County

Florida law distinguishes between two registry categories: sexual offenders and sexual predators. The difference determines how often someone must register and how actively the community gets notified when they establish residency.

Sexual predators are designated under Florida Statute § 775.21, the Florida Sexual Predators Act. A court issues the formal predator designation at sentencing. The designation is permanent in most cases and reflects the severity of the crime or a pattern of sexual offenses. When a sexual predator registers or moves within Monroe County, FDLE notifies local law enforcement agencies and can notify nearby residents. Predators must report four times per year.

Sexual offenders fall under § 943.0435. This broader category includes everyone convicted of a qualifying sex crime who was not formally designated a predator. They report twice per year. Both categories appear in the FDLE public database. The profile for each person is labeled with their specific category so that anyone searching can tell the difference at a glance.

Monroe County's unique geography along the Overseas Highway means registered sex offenders in the Keys must follow the same state rules while living in one of Florida's most distinct communities. The island chain setting does not reduce any requirement. Active community notification still occurs for predators. In-person reporting at the Key West office is required for all registrants, regardless of where in the Keys they live.

Boaters and live-aboards present a particular challenge in Monroe County. The law treats a vessel that serves as a primary residence the same as a land-based address. If your boat is your home and it is moored or kept in Monroe County waters, you need to register here. If you move the boat to another county for an extended period, you may need to register in that county as well.

Searching Monroe County Sex Offenders

The official database for searching registered sex offenders in Monroe County is the FDLE statewide registry. The FDLE offender search tool allows filtering by county. Select Monroe County to pull all current registrations in the Florida Keys area. Results include each registrant's name, photograph, current registered address, and offense information. No account or fee is required to search.

You can search by name to find a specific individual or browse all registered persons in Monroe County at once. Results reflect the current registered address, updated within 24 hours when the sheriff processes a change. For urgent concerns, contact the Monroe County Sheriff's Office directly at (305) 292-7000. Third-party websites that aggregate registry data are not as current or as reliable as the FDLE database itself.

Monroe County's seasonal population swings, especially during winter months, can create more movement on the registry than a county with a more stable year-round population. Searching the database more than once across a season may show different results as registrants update addresses.

Residency Restrictions in Monroe County

Florida Statute § 775.215 sets the state baseline for sex offender residency restrictions. A registered sex offender or sexual predator may not live within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, park, playground, or other location where children gather regularly. The 1,000 feet is measured from the property line of the restricted site to the offender's residence.

In the Florida Keys, where land is limited and communities are compact, the 1,000-foot rule can significantly restrict available housing. Key West is a densely developed area, and parks and schools are scattered throughout. The Keys' limited geography means finding a compliant address takes real effort. Registrants should verify any proposed address against nearby restricted locations before committing to it.

Local municipalities in Monroe County, including Key West, can adopt ordinances that impose stricter limits than the state baseline. A local rule could extend the buffer zone or add location types beyond what § 775.215 covers. State law is the minimum. Anyone moving to a specific address in Monroe County should check both the state statute and any local ordinances before agreeing to the address.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office (Keys Sheriff) manages sex offender registration for the Florida Keys, including Key West, Marathon, and Key Largo.

Monroe County's unique geography along the Overseas Highway means registered sex offenders in the Keys must follow the same state rules while living in one of Florida's most distinct communities. All registrations are handled at the sheriff's office at 5525 College Rd in Key West.

FDLE Offender Search Tool

The FDLE sex offender search includes all Monroe County registrants in the statewide database.

Filter by Monroe County to view all current registrations. Each result shows a photograph, registered address, and offense details. Results are updated within 24 hours of any registration change processed by the Keys Sheriff's Office.

Florida Offender Alert Notifications

The Florida Offender Alert system provides free email notifications when a sex offender registers near an address you choose to monitor. The service covers all of Florida, including Monroe County and the Florida Keys.

Sign up at the Florida Offender Alert website by entering an address and selecting a monitoring radius. When a registration falls within that area, the system sends an email. For Monroe County residents who may be away from the Keys for parts of the year, this tool is a practical way to stay informed about registry changes near a home or property without having to check FDLE manually.

Notifications pull from the FDLE database and typically go out within hours of a registry update. Both new registrations and address changes by existing registrants trigger alerts. If a nearby offender moves within your set radius, you will receive a notification.

Cities in Monroe County

No cities in Monroe County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Key West is the county seat and largest city in the Keys. Other communities include Marathon, Key Largo, and Islamorada. Sex offender registration for all Monroe County residents is handled through the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 5525 College Rd in Key West.

Nearby Counties

Monroe County borders two other Florida counties. Each has its own sheriff's office responsible for sex offender registration.