Tampa Bay Parents Urged to Check the Offender Registry and Plan the Route Before Trick-or-Treating Tonight
Safety officials urge Tampa Bay families to check the FDLE registry before choosing tonight's route — Hillsborough County has more than 2,000 registered offenders and predators — and to make children visible after dark.
Before the costumes go on tonight, safety officials are urging Tampa Bay parents to check the map. There are more than 2,000 registered sexual offenders and predators in Hillsborough County, and parents can search their own address in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Sexual Offender and Predator database to see who is registered near a planned trick-or-treating route, FOX 13 reported.
The rules on the other side of the door are strict. Sexual offenders who are on probation are prohibited from participating in Halloween activities — they cannot hand out candy, display Halloween decorations or leave their porch lights on — and violating those restrictions can result in a probation violation and an arrest by a deputy, according to the reporting.
On the street, the guidance is about visibility and attention. Dr. Alexa Ragusa, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, said the excitement of Halloween can make children less aware of traffic, and that a child stepping into the street unexpectedly after dark is one of her biggest concerns. Parents can add reflective tape or stickers to costumes and candy bags and have children carry flashlights or glow sticks; children should use sidewalks and crosswalks and put phones away while crossing, and AAA recommends adult supervision for children younger than 12. Crowded trick-or-treating streets are also not the place for e-bikes and scooters, Ragusa said — walking is the option on Halloween night.
