FLORIDA LAW TO BAR CERTAIN SEX OFFENDERS FROM LIVING WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF PUBLIC POOLS

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A new state law goes into effect next month that further limits where sexual offenders can live.

People convicted of certain crimes against children 16 and under will no longer be allowed to live within 1,000 feet of a public pool in Florida.

Some critics warn this law could cause unintended consequences. Some parents say they're thankful for a bigger physical buffer between their children and known predators.

But attorney Hanna Liebman Dershowitz says this law will only cause other problems.

On July 1, Senate Bill 212 will go into effect in Florida.

"That makes me feel great, honestly," said parent Nigeriya. "I didn't know that they didn't have that put in place already. But now that I know, I feel more safe coming to the pool that I don't have anybody that's a pedophile or anything close by."

"This should have been put in place," she said.

The change expands on an existing law that restricts where offenders can live, like areas near parks, playgrounds and schools.

"I'm glad it is in effect," parent Willie Pate said.

Child advocate Mary Bush says the updated law adds another layer of safety for children, just in time for summer activities.

"You know, some people may not be, you know, aware of just how many registered sex offenders are in their area," said Mary Bush. former president of Child Guardians Inc. "I really like laws like this that put a physical barrier between known sex offenders and places where children play."

But attorney Dershowitz, who is also a criminal reform specialist, says this will make it difficult for those looking to reintegrate into society. She says residency restrictions for convicts sound good on paper, but could have repercussions.

"Some people will not be able to find housing and will become homeless," Dershowitz said. "...will completely abscond and not be supervisable at all."

"And any time you're restricting somebody's ability to participate meaningfully and be productive, that's already a drain on public safety and undermining of public safety," she said. "But it's also the wrong approach to, you know, to solving these kinds of problems. When when you really want to serve the public good and public safety, the best strategies are to have prevention and treatment, family education and targeted supervision of very high risk individuals."

The only public pool open in Pensacola this summer is the Cecil T. Hunter swimming pool on East Blunt Street.

Now, this is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's sexual offenders and predators map. As you can see there are multiple registered offenders who live in this one mile radius of the pool, but none within 1,000 feet.