Police Flag 280 Career Offenders For Unconfirmed Addresses

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — The homes of 280 people who are considered career offenders were visited June 14-16 by deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and several partner agencies, a news release said.

A career offender is someone who, because of their violent criminal history, is ordered by a judge to register their address in the career offender application for statewide tracking (COAST), a state registry maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. People registered in COAST are considered the worst-of-the-worst criminals, according to the FDLE.

The 280 felons visited were flagged after they failed to confirm their addresses, a requirement under the Florida Career Offender Registration Act. Failure of a career offender to register their residence within 48 hours of moving is a third-degree felony, authorities said.

During the operation, 42 people were not living at the addresses they listed, therefore not in compliance, so felony warrants were issued. Three career offenders were also located and arrested for active warrants related to previous charges, HCSO detectives said.

"The accuracy of this list is vital for law enforcement and members of our community, who have a right to know where these violent individuals are living,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “I am proud of the hard work our deputies and detectives put in during this operation."

There are about 440 registered career offenders in Hillsborough County, according to the sheriff's office. Information from the FDLE Career Offender Registration is a public record. To check the registration, visit the link found here, or call the FDLE Career Offender Unit directly at 1-850-410-8780.