DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Sexual predator designations will stay on Florida licenses, following an appeals court upholding the law passed in 2014.
What does the marking look like on a license? Watch Fox 4's community correspondent Eric Lovelace, explain:
In a divided ruling, the 5th District Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of requiring state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards to have “SEXUAL PREDATOR” stamped on them if the person is convicted of that crime.
The legislation was pushed by former state Democrat Lauren Book who says the motivation to pass this legislation was born out of personal experience.
“I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse from the time I was about 10 years old until I was about 16 by my family’s nanny," Book said. "My abuse was 365 days a year, 7 days a week, often times while my parents were in the very next room."
Only nine states in the US require a form of designation on state-issued IDs. Book said, since laws vary by state, this is a good tool for law enforcement to prevent abuse before it starts and track people across state lines. "There aren’t interstate sex offender registries, what if you go hang out at a park there?"
After passing legislation, Book went a step further, launching "Lauren's Kids", an educational tool to prevent abuse before it starts.
The program's designed to clear up myths surrounding sexual abuse, and to teach kids to advocate for themselves.
"We know children are often abused by someone they know, love and trust" Book said.
