The Broward County sex offender registry is the public list of every person convicted of qualifying sex crimes who lives, works, or attends school in Broward County. Florida’s FDLE runs the statewide database that powers all public searches. The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) handles in-person registration and follow-up checks across the county’s 31 cities. Anyone can search the registry online at no cost to check a neighborhood, a school zone, or a specific name. This page explains how the registry runs, who must register, how to search it, the rules every registrant must follow, and how to sign up for community alerts.
How the Broward County Sex Offender Registry Works
Florida keeps one main sex offender registry for the whole state. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) runs that database and refreshes it as new records arrive from county offices. Broward County feeds its records into the same database. Local police, the BSO for most of the county, plus city police departments like Hollywood PD and Fort Lauderdale PD, send in the new files and updates. Residents searching the FDLE site will see the same names whether they look by name, address, ZIP code, or county.
Statewide Database Run by FDLE
The FDLE sex offender database is the single source of public sex offender records in Florida. It receives input from all 67 counties. Each record includes a photo, physical description, registered address, qualifying offense, and offender or predator status. New registrations show up in the database within days. Address changes, vehicle changes, and employment changes also appear, but only after the local office logs them into the system. Anyone living in or moving to Broward County can pull up the same set of names through this one system.
BSO Handles Local Registration
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is the county’s main law enforcement agency. For residents in unincorporated Broward County and in many of the smaller cities, BSO is the office where sex offenders and sexual predators complete their first registration and every re-registration. Registration happens in person at the BSO office inside the Broward County Courthouse. BSO officers also run regular compliance checks on registered offenders in their area. Names added, removed, or moved by BSO appear in the FDLE search tool after the office finishes its paperwork.
Records Shared Across Florida and the U.S.
Florida shares its registry with the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). NSOPW pulls records from every state that takes part in the national system. People who move from another state into Broward County must register in Florida within 48 hours of arrival. BSO then confirms the out-of-state record. The NSOPW site keeps the original out-of-state record live too, so a search for one person can return linked records across multiple states. This cross-state sharing helps families, landlords, schools, and employers check on people who move often.
Who Must Register and for How Long
Florida law spells out which crimes require registration and how long each person stays on the registry. The list covers adult and juvenile convictions for sexual battery, lewd acts, child pornography, kidnapping with sexual intent, and similar offenses. A few misdemeanor-level offenses also trigger registration when the victim is a minor. Failure to register when required is itself a separate felony charge.
Qualifying Florida Offenses
The Florida Statutes list more than 50 separate offenses that require registration. They include sexual battery, lewd or lascivious offenses on a person under 16, child pornography, traveling to meet a minor, and sexual assault on an elderly or disabled adult. Convictions from other states, federal courts, or military courts also trigger registration when the out-of-state act would be a qualifying offense in Florida. Pretrial diversion and plea deals that end in a withhold of adjudication may still lead to registration. Anyone found guilty of any listed offense must register on the day of release from prison, jail, or the court’s sentencing.
Offender vs. Predator Designation
Florida uses two labels: sexual offender and sexual predator. A court issues the predator label only by written order, after finding specific aggravating factors such as a prior sex crime, two or more victims, or use of force. Predators re-register four times a year, every three months. Offenders re-register twice a year, every six months. Both groups must keep a valid driver’s license or state ID, and both appear in the public registry. Predator profiles carry a clear label in the FDLE search results.
Lifetime Registration Cases
Florida requires lifetime registration for several categories of registrant. Anyone on the registry for a capital felony, a life felony, or any first-degree felony sex offense stays on for life. Predators stay on for life unless a court removes the designation. Juveniles adjudicated for certain serious offenses also stay on for life. People who move out of state must keep their Florida registration current until the court removes them from the registry. Lifetime registrants check in for the rest of their lives or until a court grants relief.
Search Tools for Broward County Residents
Three main search tools cover Broward County. The FDLE public search is the most complete. NSOPW covers cross-state searches. Local police sites may list compliance contacts and city-specific alert features. Each tool works best for a different need, and all three pull from the same Florida dataset when the search stays inside the state.
FDLE Public Offender Search
The FDLE sex offender search at offender.fdle.state.fl.us is the best starting point for most lookups. Users can search by name, address, ZIP code, county, or city. A search filtered to “Broward” returns every active registrant with a current address in the county. Each profile shows a mugshot, height, weight, eye and hair color, registered address, qualifying offense, and registration status. The tool also maps addresses when the search uses a city or ZIP code. Users looking for someone near a school, park, or daycare can enter that location and see what falls within a set radius.
National Sex Offender Public Website
The NSOPW site at nsopw.gov pulls records from every state registry in the federal system. It works well for cross-state checks. A landlord renting to someone moving from Georgia, a parent tracking a family member who moved out of state, or a school checking a new employee with a multistate work history can run one search and see linked records. NSOPW does not always show the latest Florida changes as fast as the FDLE search does, so a single Florida-only search belongs on the FDLE site.
Local Police Department Tools
City police departments in Broward County maintain their own contact lines and local alert features. The BSO homepage carries a “Locate Sex Offenders” link that points straight to the FDLE tool. Hollywood Police Department’s Special Victims Unit works with every registrant in city limits and posts details of its monitoring program on the city website. Other cities, including Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Coral Springs, and Pompano Beach, can answer questions by phone about local compliance checks. These city sites do not run their own search databases; they point to the FDLE tool.
Registration Rules and Reporting Deadlines
Florida sets strict timelines on address changes, vehicle changes, employment changes, and school enrollment. Each rule has a fixed clock. Missed deadlines lead to felony charges, even when the underlying offense was a misdemeanor. The two main deadlines are the 48-hour change rule and the re-registration schedule tied to offender or predator status.
48-Hour Change Rule
Florida Statute § 943.0435 lists the items every registrant must report within 48 hours of any change. The list covers home address, work address, school enrollment, vehicles owned or driven, phone numbers, and email addresses. The 48-hour clock starts when the change happens, not when the registrant decides to report it. Temporary changes count. A weekend trip out of county triggers a 48-hour clock on the day the person leaves. Failure to report carries the same penalty as failure to re-register.
Re-Registration Frequency
Sexual offenders re-register twice a year, every six months. Sexual predators re-register four times a year, every three months. Both groups must show up at BSO in person. Mail, email, and online check-ins do not count for initial or re-registration. The registrant must bring valid photo ID and proof of current address. Officers verify the record, take a new photo when needed, and update the FDLE database on the spot. Each visit resets the next deadline.
Online vs. In-Person Registration
Initial registration in Broward County is in person only. Re-registration is also in person only. Florida does not allow registrants to call, mail, or upload changes for the main re-registration visit. Some county offices let registrants update a phone number or email online between visits, but the main registration cycle always requires an in-person trip to BSO or the local police station.
Residency Restrictions Across the County
Florida bars registered offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, park, or other place where children gather. Some cities in Broward County add tighter rules on top of that base buffer. Landlords face fines for renting to registrants who fall outside the law. Renters face felony charges for living in a banned spot.
Statewide 1,000-Foot Buffer
Florida Statute § 775.215 sets the 1,000-foot statewide buffer. The buffer runs from the property line of the registrant’s home to the property line of the protected site. Schools, daycares, licensed child care centers, parks, playgrounds, and public libraries all count as protected sites. The buffer applies to offenders and predators the same way. Local police map out the buffer zones and can tell a renter or landlord in minutes whether an address falls inside or outside the law.
Hollywood’s Added Local Limits
Hollywood PD runs one of the strictest local programs in Broward County. The city’s Special Victims Unit contacts every new registrant the day they move in. Detectives then run follow-up visits that match or beat the state and federal schedule under the Adam Walsh Act. Hollywood’s city ordinance adds distance limits that go past the 1,000-foot state rule. People who live in Hollywood and suspect a non-compliant registrant can call Hollywood PD at 954-967-4411 to file a tip.
Alerts, Tips, and Community Notification
Broward County residents can sign up for free alerts that send an email whenever a registered offender or predator moves into a chosen ZIP code. Tip lines run through BSO and most city police departments. Both serve the same goal: let neighbors know when a new registrant moves in, and let officers know when a registrant breaks the rules.
Florida Offender Alert Sign-Up
The Florida Offender Alert system at floridaoffenderalert.com handles the bulk of community alerts. Residents set up an account with an email address and pick one or many ZIP codes across Florida. The system watches each ZIP code and sends an alert any time a new registrant moves in, an existing registrant changes address, or a registrant leaves the area. The service is free, runs automatically, and works for any part of the state. Parents, school staff, daycare owners, and neighborhood watch groups use it as a steady check on their area.
BSO and Hollywood PD Tip Lines
BSO fields all sex offender compliance tips for unincorporated Broward County and most of the smaller cities. The non-emergency line (954) 831-8900 routes calls to the Sex Offender Unit during business hours and to patrol officers after hours. Hollywood PD takes tips for sex offenders living in Hollywood city limits at 954-967-4411. Other cities route tips through their own non-emergency numbers. Callers can leave anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers of Broward County at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
Penalties for Breaking Registration Rules
Florida treats sex offender registration as a core condition of release. Missing a deadline or giving a false address is a felony, even for someone whose original conviction was a misdemeanor. Judges treat registration violations seriously because each violation puts neighbors, schools, and families at risk.
Failure to Re-Register as a Third-Degree Felony
Failure to register, re-register, or report a 48-hour change is a third-degree felony in Florida. A third-degree felony carries up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines. Repeat violations raise the charge to a second-degree felony, with up to 15 years in prison. The clock starts when the missed deadline passes, not when officers find out. Officers find out fast: BSO and city police run targeted compliance checks each month, and the FDLE flags missed re-registration dates for local review.
Probation and Community Control Terms
Registrants still serving a sentence on probation or community control face extra rules under Florida Statute § 948.30. A judge may add curfews, electronic monitoring, polygraph checks, treatment programs, and travel bans to the standard probation terms. Breaking any of those added terms counts as a probation violation. The violator goes back before the judge with no bond until the court decides the next step, which can include prison time even when the original charge was a misdemeanor.
Contact Details and Office Hours
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit sits inside the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The office is open for in-person registration and re-registration from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except court holidays. The registration desk keeps the same hours as the courthouse. Walk-ins are accepted, but the office recommends calling ahead to confirm the right paperwork before each visit. Online registration is not available. Call (954) 831-8900 to reach the unit, to ask about an offender who lives in the area, or to report a possible compliance violation. The official BSO website is www.sheriff.org. The registration address is 201 SE 6th Street, Room 1145, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below cover the most common calls and online searches from Broward County residents, landlords, parents, and employers. Each answer links to the part of Florida law that controls the topic. Updates to Florida law and FDLE rules happen on a set schedule, so the latest version of each statute always controls over anything written here. When in doubt, call BSO at (954) 831-8900 or check the FDLE search tool for the most recent record on any named registrant.
How Do I Search the Broward County Sex Offender Registry?
The fastest way to search the Broward County sex offender registry is the FDLE public search at offender.fdle.state.fl.us. Pick the search by address or ZIP code, enter a Broward ZIP code such as 33301, 33020, or 33024, and the tool lists every active registrant with an address inside that zone. Each record shows the registrant’s photo, status (offender or predator), qualifying offense, and current address. The NSOPW site at nsopw.gov covers the same Florida records and adds records from other states, which helps with cross-state moves. Local police departments in Broward County do not run their own search engines; they forward all searches to the FDLE tool. Anyone who needs help running the search can call BSO at (954) 831-8900 during business hours.
What Is the Difference Between a Sex Offender and a Sexual Predator?
A sex offender is anyone convicted of a qualifying sex crime under Florida law. A sexual predator is a sex offender whom a court has labeled a predator through a written court order under Florida Statute § 775.21. Courts issue the predator label when the record shows specific aggravating facts: a prior sex crime conviction, two or more victims, or use of force. Offenders re-register twice a year. Predators re-register four times a year and carry an extra warning label in the FDLE search results. Both groups stay in the registry. Predator status runs for life unless a court later removes it. The Department of Corrections and local police treat predator cases as a higher priority for community notification and compliance checks.
Can a Sex Offender Live Anywhere in Broward County?
No. Florida Statute § 775.215 bars registered offenders and predators from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, park, playground, or other place where children gather. Cities in Broward County may add tighter rules. Hollywood’s local ordinance, for example, sets extra distance rules that go past the state buffer. BSO maps the buffer zones and can tell a renter or landlord in minutes whether a property falls inside or outside the rule. Renting a banned address is a separate felony that can be charged against the renter and the landlord. The 1,000-foot buffer applies to a person’s home address; it does not cover daily moves for work or other errands.
How Often Do Sex Offenders Re-Register in Broward County?
Sexual offenders re-register twice a year, every six months. Sexual predators re-register four times a year, every three months. Each visit happens in person at the Broward Sheriff’s Office or the city police station. Officers check ID, take a new photo when needed, and update the FDLE database on the spot. The first registration happens on the day of release from prison or the day of sentencing if there is no prison term. Lifetime registrants keep the schedule for the rest of their lives. The next deadline is set during each visit, and BSO sends a reminder letter before the date, though the reminder does not extend the legal deadline if it never arrives.
What Happens If a Sex Offender Fails to Register?
Missing a registration deadline is a third-degree felony in Florida. The charge carries up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines. Repeat violations raise the charge to a second-degree felony with up to 15 years in prison. Officers find out fast: BSO runs targeted compliance checks each month, and the FDLE flags missed dates for local review. The clock starts the moment the deadline passes, not when officers discover the lapse. A registrant who left the area, got sick, or simply forgot still faces the same charge. The only fix is to register late and let the court sort out the next step.
Is the Florida Sex Offender Registry Free to Search?
Yes. The FDLE public search at offender.fdle.state.fl.us and the NSOPW site at nsopw.gov are both free. There is no fee, no signup, and no account requirement to look up a name, address, ZIP code, or county. The Florida Offender Alert system at floridaoffenderalert.com is also free and sends free email alerts whenever a new registrant moves into a chosen ZIP code. Third-party sites that charge a fee for the same records are not required; they sell the same free public data with an added layer. Using the official FDLE and NSOPW sites gives the most recent records and avoids data lags from third-party re-sellers.
Can a Juvenile End Up on the Broward County Sex Offender Registry?
Yes. Juveniles adjudicated delinquent for a qualifying offense must register under Florida law. The court can order registration for life in serious cases, such as sexual battery or lewd acts on a minor. Most juvenile records come with a separate juvenile court order, and the offender label will show on the public registry. Parents and guardians of juvenile registrants often help with the in-person visits at BSO. The juvenile must still meet all 48-hour change rules and lifetime registration rules set by the court order. Removal of a juvenile from the registry follows a separate court process that requires a new petition.