Santa Rosa County Sex Offender Registry
Santa Rosa County sex offenders and sexual predators must register with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office under Florida law, and the public can search the registry for free using two different tools the sheriff's office has made available. This page covers how registration works in Santa Rosa County, what the law requires of registrants, how to search offender records, and what resources are available to residents of Milton and surrounding communities who want to stay informed about the sex offenders living near them.
Santa Rosa County Quick Facts
Santa Rosa County Sex Offender Registry Overview
Santa Rosa County is located in the Florida Panhandle, east of Escambia County and west of Okaloosa County. Milton is the county seat. The county's population has grown steadily in recent years, now sitting at roughly 190,000 residents. All sex offenders and sexual predators who live, work, or attend school in Santa Rosa County must register with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. That registration data flows into the statewide FDLE database, making it searchable by the public.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is committed to the protection and safety of its citizens and visitors. To support that goal, the sheriff's office uses two different search programs to help residents locate sex offenders and predators in the county. The first is the FDLE statewide database, which covers all of Florida. The second is the Offender Watch app, a mobile tool the sheriff's office has specifically partnered with to give county residents a local search option. Both tools draw from the same registry data, but Offender Watch adds notification features that make it more useful for ongoing monitoring.
Registration violations in Santa Rosa County are taken seriously and prosecuted as felonies.
Where to Register in Santa Rosa County
Sex offenders and sexual predators who arrive in Santa Rosa County must register with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours. Registration must be done in person. There is no mail-in or online option. Under Florida Statute § 943.0435, the 48-hour window begins the moment a person establishes a presence in the county, whether they are renting, staying with family, or working there. Arriving in the county and failing to register within that window is itself a criminal offense.
After registering with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, registrants must also report in person to a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles office within 48 hours of the initial registration. This step updates the driver license or state ID to reflect sex offender status, as required by state law. Contact the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office directly at (850) 983-1100 or visit santarosasheriff.org to confirm current registration hours, the location of the registration unit, and what documents you need to bring.
| Office | Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | (850) 983-1100 |
| County Seat | Milton, FL |
| Website | santarosasheriff.org |
| Registration Deadline | 48 hours after establishing residency, work, or school |
| DHSMV Step | Required within 48 hours of initial sheriff registration |
Registration Requirements for Santa Rosa County Offenders
Florida Statute § 943.0435 governs the full scope of what sex offenders must do to stay in compliance. At each registration appointment, the registrant must confirm or update their home address, employment information, any vehicles they drive, email addresses, and internet identifiers. All of that information becomes part of the public registry. Nothing about registration is private. Every detail goes into the FDLE database where it is available for anyone to search.
Re-registration frequency in Santa Rosa County depends on classification. Sex offenders who are not classified as predators must re-register twice a year. The exact months depend on their birth month and the six-month offset from that. Sexual predators face a stricter schedule and must re-register every 90 days. Beyond the scheduled appointments, both groups must report any change of address, employment, or other key information to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours of the change. That interim reporting requirement does not substitute for the scheduled re-registration, but runs in parallel with it. Missing either type of appointment can result in felony charges.
The law applies year-round. There are no breaks, exceptions, or grace periods.
Sexual Predators vs. Sexual Offenders in Santa Rosa County
Florida draws a distinction between sex offenders and sexual predators in Florida Statute § 775.21. A sexual predator designation is assigned by a court based on the severity of the offense or a pattern of prior sexual crimes. It is not automatic. The court must make the formal designation as part of sentencing. Once applied, the label is permanent. It follows the person for life and appears on all public records in the FDLE database.
Both sex offenders and predators in Santa Rosa County must register with the sheriff's office. Both appear in the FDLE database. Both are subject to the 48-hour registration rule and the residency restrictions that apply throughout Florida. The difference is in the intensity of the oversight. Predators re-register every 90 days instead of every 180 days. Their listing in the FDLE database is flagged more prominently. Law enforcement in Santa Rosa County tracks predators more actively because the classification signals a higher level of risk assessed by the court at the time of sentencing. When searching the registry, the classification is clearly displayed next to each person's name and photo.
How to Search Santa Rosa County Sex Offenders
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office provides two tools for residents who want to search for sex offenders in the county. The first is the FDLE statewide database, which contains public information related to offenders classified as predators and offenders throughout Florida. The second is the Offender Watch app, which the sheriff's office has specifically partnered with to give residents a mobile search and alert tool. Both draw from the same underlying registry data, but Offender Watch adds the ability to receive push notifications on a phone when a registered sex offender moves into your area.
The FDLE database at offender.fdle.state.fl.us is the official state tool. Searching by "Santa Rosa County" returns all active registrants in the county. Each result includes a photo, the person's current address, their offense, and whether they are a sex offender or a sexual predator. The Offender Watch app is available for free download and works alongside the FDLE data to add local notification features. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office recommends using both tools. You can find links to both on the sheriff's sex offender page at santarosasheriff.org/sex-offenders.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office offers two search tools for residents looking for registered sex offenders in the county.
The sheriff's office partners with both FDLE and the Offender Watch app to give residents multiple ways to search.
The Santa Rosa County sex offender search page at santarosasheriff.org/sex-offenders connects users to both the FDLE registry and the Offender Watch mobile app.
The Offender Watch app allows users to receive alerts on their phones when a registered sex offender moves into their area.
Residency Restrictions in Santa Rosa County
Florida Statute § 775.215 sets residency restrictions for sex offenders statewide. Under that law, sex offenders and sexual predators cannot live within 1,000 feet of any school, daycare center, park, playground, or other location where children regularly gather. That restriction applies throughout Santa Rosa County, including in Milton, Gulf Breeze, Pace, and all unincorporated areas. The measurement runs from property line to property line, not from the front door of the offender's residence to the front door of the school or park.
In practice, the 1,000-foot rule limits where in Santa Rosa County a registrant can legally live. Communities near schools or parks may have very few compliant addresses. Before moving to any address in the county, a registrant should verify that the address falls outside all restricted zones. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office can provide guidance on this question, and a local attorney familiar with Florida sex offender law can help assess specific addresses. Moving into a restricted zone after the sheriff's office has recorded a different address is a registration violation on top of the residency violation, which compounds the potential legal exposure significantly.
Local ordinances in Santa Rosa County may impose additional restrictions beyond the state minimum of 1,000 feet.
Florida Offender Alert in Santa Rosa County
The Florida Offender Alert system at floridaoffenderalert.com lets Santa Rosa County residents sign up for email notifications when a registered sex offender moves to within a chosen distance of a specified address. The service is free and is based on FDLE registry data. You can set up alerts tied to your home address, a child's school, or any other location in Santa Rosa County that matters to you. When the registry changes and a new registrant appears near that location, you get an email.
Offender Watch, the app the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office has partnered with, provides similar functionality through a mobile interface. It can send push notifications to your phone and allows you to see a map view of registered offenders near any address in Santa Rosa County. Using both the Florida Offender Alert email system and the Offender Watch app together gives you the most complete coverage for monitoring changes to the registry in your area.
Cities in Santa Rosa County
The largest communities in Santa Rosa County include Milton (the county seat), Gulf Breeze, Pace, and Navarre. None of these cities meet the 100,000-population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Residents of all communities in Santa Rosa County can search for sex offenders in their specific city or ZIP code using the FDLE database or the Offender Watch app. The FDLE search includes a city-level filter that makes it easy to narrow results to a specific town or neighborhood within Santa Rosa County.
Nearby Counties
Santa Rosa County sits between Escambia County to the west and Okaloosa County to the east. Walton County is also nearby to the east. All three have their own sex offender registries searchable through FDLE.