Holiday travelers may find an unwanted presence down the hotel hallway.

Florida’s 50,000 registered sexual offenders may stay in hotels and motels for a few days while traveling and the businesses and their guests don’t have to be notified, state officials said.

It is an exception to strict state rules requiring sexual offenders to register with the state and to keep officials notified of their whereabouts. Family vacationers on rare occasions could end up in the same hotel with a convicted sexual offender.

During that time, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement offers the same consumer advice it offers any time people are out in the public, in a mall, restaurant or park: “Be aware of your surroundings,” said spokeswoman Heather Smith. “Take precautionary steps.”

Registered sex offenders must notify the state if they stay in a place for more than four days, either at one time or combined throughout the year.

Recently, Treasure Coast sheriff’s officials didn’t know of any offenders staying in tourist accommodations as temporary or permanent residences. But a sex offender was recently reported living in a Brevard County hotel, according to Florida Today.

Having a registered sex offender in a hotel can “carry quite a stigma,” said Indian River County sheriff’s Detective Al Rosemond.

In the past year, he knew of three offenders saying in Indian River County hotels. In 80 percent of cases when Rosemond told hotel owners, he said they asked the offenders to leave.

“They don’t want to lose other customers,” Rosemond said.

In St. Lucie County, “The hotel owners thanked us for the information, yet we were not told they kicked someone out,” said St. Lucie County sheriff’s Sgt. Suzanne Woodward. “That is their decision.”

Woodward said registered offenders stay in all types of hotels.

“This is not a crime of one socio-economic status,” she said, adding among the offenders are people who were doctors, lawyers, police and priests at the time of their arrest.

Martin County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Rhonda Irons said she has never heard of problems with registered sexual offenders saying in local motels.

The approximate number of registered sexual offenders living along the Treasure Coast includes 150 in Indian River County, 400 in St. Lucie County and 120 in Martin County.

Usually the complaints about sexual offenders come from apartment complexes where people live close to each other, Smith said.

Also, offenders on probation can’t live within 1,000 feet of a school, playground, park or licensed day care center, state officials said.

“It is very difficult (for registered) offenders to find housing,” Smith said. “It is important for us to know where they are. Yet because of the fear it can be hard to find places, making it even more difficult to track them.”

Currently Florida has 68 homeless sexual offenders on probation from state court sentences.

HOW TO FIND REGISTERED

SEX OFFENDERS

• The state has a Web site where the public may search for offenders living near their homes. The site is at http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/Search.jsp

• Call (888) 357-7332 to contact the state’s Registra´tion and Compliance Unit.

State of Florida

Did you know that in the state of Arizona if a man pees in public and gets caught by the police he has to register as a sex offender?

And if a woman sunbathes topless and is ticketed for it she also must register as a sex offender in Arizona?

A bit ridiculous don't ya think???

sigh im not talking about those ppl yeah that is ridiculous just like when a 17 yr old has sex with a 16 yr old and has to register im talking about hard core offenders okay