St. Johns County Sex Offenders

St. Johns County sex offenders and sexual predators must register in person with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, and every active registrant appears in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement public database, which anyone can search free of charge without creating an account. St. Johns County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida, with a large residential population in communities like Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, and St. Augustine, and all registrations for those areas are processed through the sheriff's office regardless of where in the county the person lives or works.

St. Johns County Sheriff and Sex Offender Registration

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office handles all sex offender and predator registrations for the county. Florida law requires anyone convicted of a qualifying sexual offense who lives, works, or regularly spends time in St. Johns County to register in person. That applies to people with Florida convictions and to anyone relocating from another state whose offense would trigger registration under Florida statutes. There are no exceptions based on how long ago the offense took place or where the conviction occurred.

Registration must be done in person. No mail-in or online process exists. When you arrive at the sheriff's office, staff take your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, physical description, all vehicle information, all phone numbers, and every electronic identifier you use, including email addresses and social media accounts. A photograph is captured during the visit. Bring valid government-issued ID and any court documents related to your conviction. If you are transferring from another county or state, bring your prior registration records so staff can verify your tier and set your reporting schedule correctly.

After registration, the sheriff's office forwards your fingerprints and photo to the FDLE. Your record is typically visible in the public database within a short period. All changes, including new addresses, new vehicles, new phone numbers, and new online accounts, must be reported to the sheriff within 48 hours. That window does not stop for weekends or public holidays. Missing the deadline carries the same legal consequences as failing to register at all.

Registration Requirements in St. Johns County

Florida's registration rules are defined in Florida Statute § 943.0435, and they apply identically in St. Johns County as they do in every other Florida county. There are no local exemptions. The statute specifies what information must be provided at registration, how often in-person appearances are required, and what penalties apply for non-compliance.

Re-registration frequency is tied to your designation. Standard sex offenders must appear in person twice per year. The first visit falls during your birth month. The second comes six months later. Sexual predators have a stricter schedule. They must re-register four times per year, once every three months, to keep their records current. The more frequent requirement for predators reflects the higher level of assessed risk under Florida law.

People with no fixed address, called transient registrants, must report to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office every 30 days with their current location information. Not having a permanent home does not reduce registration obligations. It just changes the schedule from twice or four times per year to every 30 days.

The 48-hour rule is broad. A new vehicle, a new email, a new phone, a change in employer or work location, all of these must be reported within two days. There is no option to bundle them into your next scheduled visit. Registration in Florida is a lifetime obligation in most cases. Failure to register or failure to report a change on time is a third-degree felony, and that penalty applies whether the underlying offense was from Florida or from another state.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in St. Johns County

Florida law uses two separate categories for people on the registry. Those categories are sexual offenders and sexual predators. Both appear in the same FDLE database, but the rules they operate under are not the same.

Sexual offenders are people convicted of qualifying offenses under Florida law, or people convicted elsewhere of crimes that would require registration here. They report twice a year, report all changes within 48 hours, and follow residency rules. Their records are in the public database and anyone can look them up, but there is no formal state program that actively notifies neighbors when an offender registers at a nearby address.

Sexual predators carry a separate and more serious designation. Getting labeled a predator is not automatic. A court must make a specific finding that the person satisfies the criteria set out in Florida Statute § 775.21. Once designated, predators must re-register every three months and are subject to active community notification. When a predator registers at a new St. Johns County address, the sheriff's office may notify nearby residents, schools, daycares, and other institutions. Both categories appear in the FDLE portal. Predator records are clearly labeled so searchers can tell them apart from standard offenders at a glance.

St. Johns County's rapid population growth means the registry regularly receives new transfers from residents relocating from other Florida counties, particularly Duval County to the north. The FDLE portal's county filter makes it easy to view only St. Johns County registrants specifically.

Search St. Johns County Sex Offenders Online

The FDLE sex offender search portal is the main tool for finding registered offenders and predators in St. Johns County. No login is needed. The search is free. You can filter by county, search by city or ZIP code, look someone up by name, or do a radius search from a specific street address.

Each result includes the registrant's photo, current address, physical description, offense history, and predator status if applicable. The radius search is useful for checking who is registered near a school, a park, or a home address. The database updates on an ongoing basis and reflects the most recent information filed with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. Results are generally current, though there may be a short lag between the time a change is reported and when it appears in the public portal.

For people recently moved to St. Johns County from another state, the National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov covers all participating state registries. Once someone establishes a Florida address and registers here, their St. Johns County record will show up in the FDLE database.

The FDLE registry provides access to all public sex offender and predator records throughout Florida, including every registrant in St. Johns County.

Residency Restrictions in St. Johns County

Under § 775.215, registered sex offenders and sexual predators in Florida cannot live within 1,000 feet of any school, childcare facility, park, playground, or location where children regularly gather. That distance is measured from property line to property line, not door to door. The restriction is state law and applies uniformly in St. Johns County just as it does everywhere else in Florida.

The rule covers both permanent and temporary residences. A registrant cannot stay overnight at a non-compliant address even for a single night. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office checks new addresses against these restrictions during registration. If an address falls within the restricted zone, the registrant must select a compliant location before the address can be accepted on file.

Some municipalities within St. Johns County may have adopted local ordinances that set stricter limits than the state's 1,000-foot minimum. Cities and towns can expand the buffer zone or restrict registrants from certain public spaces beyond what state law requires. Anyone selecting a new address in the county should verify both state law and any applicable local rules before moving. A good-faith move to a non-compliant address remains a violation under Florida law regardless of intent.

The FDLE search portal lets you look up St. Johns County sex offenders by name, ZIP code, or proximity to any address, free of charge with no login required.

Florida Offender Alert Notifications for St. Johns County

St. Johns County residents can sign up for free email alerts through Florida Offender Alert. The service tracks new registrations and address changes in the ZIP codes you pick. When activity occurs in a ZIP code you are monitoring, you receive an email with the registrant's photo and the address on file.

There is no cost. Pick the ZIP codes for your neighborhood, your child's school zone, or any other area you want to watch, and the system monitors for changes automatically. You can track multiple ZIP codes from one account. For families in fast-growing St. Johns County communities like Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, or the areas south of St. Augustine, the alert service is a straightforward way to stay informed without checking the FDLE portal manually.

Cities in St. Johns County

St. Augustine is the county seat of St. Johns County, and other communities include Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, and St. Augustine Beach. St. Augustine has a population of roughly 15,000, and no city in St. Johns County currently meets the threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All sex offender registrations in St. Johns County, in every city and unincorporated area, are processed through the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at 4015 Lewis Speedway in St. Augustine.

Nearby Counties

Registrants who move out of St. Johns County must tell the sheriff and then register with the new county's sheriff within 48 hours of the move. All nearby counties operate under the same Florida statewide registration framework.