Suwannee County Sex Offenders

Suwannee County sex offenders and sexual predators are required by Florida law to register with the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office, and every active registrant in the county is listed in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement public database, which anyone can access for free without creating an account. Suwannee County is a rural north Florida county centered on Live Oak along the Suwannee River corridor, and anyone who lives, works, or regularly spends time in the county must register in person at the sheriff's office regardless of where the underlying conviction took place.

Suwannee County Sheriff and Sex Offender Registration

The Suwannee County Sheriff's Office handles sex offender registration for this north Florida county along the Suwannee River corridor. Anyone convicted of a qualifying sexual offense who establishes a residence, workplace, or regular presence in Suwannee County must register in person at the sheriff's office. The obligation applies to people with Florida convictions and to those coming from other states with offenses that would require registration under Florida law. Where the conviction happened does not change what is required here.

Registration must be done in person. No mail or online option 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, phone numbers, and every electronic identifier you use, including email addresses and social media usernames. A photo is taken during the registration visit. Bring a valid government-issued ID and all documentation related to your conviction. If you are transferring from another county or state, bring prior registration paperwork so staff can correctly classify your tier and assign your schedule.

All Suwannee County registrations are forwarded to the FDLE statewide database within 24 hours of processing at the sheriff's office. Your record appears in the public portal shortly after that. Changes to your address, vehicle, phone, or online accounts must be reported to the sheriff within 48 hours of the change. That window does not pause on weekends or holidays. Failing to report a change on time carries the same legal penalty as failing to register entirely.

Registration Requirements in Suwannee County

Florida's sex offender registration rules are established in Florida Statute § 943.0435, and those rules apply identically in Suwannee County as they do in every other county in the state. There are no local carve-outs or county-level adjustments. The statute defines what information registrants must provide, how often in-person appearances are required, and what happens if someone fails to comply.

Re-registration frequency depends on designation. Standard sex offenders must appear in person twice per year. The first visit is required during your birth month. The second is six months after that. Sexual predators face a more demanding schedule, four visits per year, once every three months. The four-visit requirement reflects the elevated level of assessed risk that the predator label carries under Florida law.

Transient registrants, those who have no fixed address, must report to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office every 30 days to update their current location. Not having a permanent home does not reduce the registration requirement. It just shifts the schedule to monthly check-ins instead of twice or four times per year.

The 48-hour rule covers all changes, not only address updates. A new car, a new email account, a new phone number, a new place of work, each one requires reporting to the sheriff within two days. You cannot wait for the next scheduled visit to disclose these changes. Registration in Florida is a lifetime obligation in most cases. Failing to register, or missing the 48-hour window for any required update, is a third-degree felony under Florida law regardless of when or where the original offense occurred.

Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders in Suwannee County

Florida law divides registrants into two groups: sexual offenders and sexual predators. Both categories appear in the FDLE public database, but the obligations and public notification rules are different for each.

Sexual offenders are people convicted of qualifying crimes under Florida law, or those convicted elsewhere of offenses that would require registration here. They must appear twice a year, report all changes within 48 hours, and follow residency restrictions. Their records are searchable in the FDLE portal. The state does not run a formal active notification program for standard offenders. The public can look up their records, but neighbors are not automatically alerted when an offender registers nearby.

Sexual predators carry a separate and more serious designation. The predator label is not applied automatically at sentencing. A court must make a formal finding that the person satisfies the specific criteria in Florida Statute § 775.21. Once designated, a predator must re-register four times a year and is subject to active community notification. When a predator registers at a new Suwannee County address, the sheriff's office may notify nearby residents, schools, and childcare providers directly. Both tiers appear in the same FDLE search tool. Predator records are labeled distinctly so the public can tell them apart from standard offender records.

Live Oak is the county seat and main population center in Suwannee County. Searching the FDLE portal by city name or ZIP code is the quickest way to pull results for Live Oak or any other specific community in the county.

Search Suwannee County Sex Offenders Online

The FDLE sex offender search portal is the official resource for finding registered offenders and predators in Suwannee County. No account or login is required. The search is free. You can look up by county, city name, ZIP code, individual name, or by radius from a specific street address.

Results include each registrant's photo, current registered address, physical description, offense history, and predator status where applicable. The radius search is useful for checking registrations near schools, parks, or your home address. Records reflect the most recent information submitted through the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office and update as new information comes in.

For people who recently moved to Suwannee County from another state, nsopw.gov provides a multi-state search that pulls data from all participating state registries. Once a person establishes a Suwannee County address and completes registration, their record appears in the FDLE database.

The Suwannee County Sheriff's Office handles sex offender registration for this north Florida county along the Suwannee River corridor. All Suwannee County registrations are forwarded to the FDLE statewide database within 24 hours of processing at the sheriff's office.

Residency Restrictions in Suwannee County

Under § 775.215, registered sex offenders and sexual predators in Florida are prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of any school, childcare facility, park, playground, or location where children regularly gather. That measurement runs property line to property line. The restriction is state law and applies uniformly in Suwannee County just as it does in every other Florida county.

The rule applies to both permanent and temporary residences. Even spending a single night at a non-compliant address is a violation. The Suwannee County Sheriff's Office reviews new addresses against these restrictions during registration. If an address falls within the 1,000-foot buffer, the registrant must find a compliant location before the address can be accepted.

Individual municipalities in Suwannee County may have enacted local ordinances that go beyond the state's 1,000-foot minimum. Some jurisdictions expand the buffer zone or restrict registrants from certain public areas. Anyone selecting a new address in Suwannee County should check both state law and any local rules for that specific community before committing to a move. Moving to a non-compliant address, even unintentionally, is still a violation under Florida law.

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

Florida Offender Alert Notifications for Suwannee County

Suwannee County residents can sign up for free email notifications through Florida Offender Alert. The service monitors new registrations and address changes in the ZIP codes you pick and sends an email alert when activity occurs in a zone you are watching. Each alert includes the registrant's photo and their registered address.

The service is free. Select the ZIP codes that cover your neighborhood or other areas you want to track, and the system does the monitoring for you. You can watch multiple ZIP codes from a single account. For residents in Live Oak and smaller Suwannee County communities, the alert service provides an easy way to stay informed without manually checking the FDLE portal on a regular basis.

Cities in Suwannee County

Live Oak is the county seat and largest city in Suwannee County. Other communities in the county include Branford and Wellborn. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All sex offender registrations in Suwannee County, for every city and unincorporated area, are processed through the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office at 200 S Ohio Ave in Live Oak.

Nearby Counties

Registrants moving out of Suwannee County must notify the sheriff and then register with the receiving county's sheriff within 48 hours. All nearby counties operate under Florida's statewide registration rules.