The sheriff of a Florida county where Hurricane Milton is expected to hit has issued a warning for registered sex offenders who need shelter from the storm: Do not attempt to seek refuge at the designated public facility. Instead, go directly to jail.
As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Flagler County residents have been under an order to evacuate the area in preparation for Hurricane Milton. Those who remain behind and need a more durable location to ride out the storm are invited to bring their families and up to four pets to Rymfire Elementary School in Palm Coast along the eastern coast of Florida about 25 miles south of St. Augustine.
“The shelter will also accommodate residents who are from an area under an evacuation order and have no other place to go,” a message from Flagler County Emergency Management said.
‘If you prey on this community you will ride out the storm at the county jail.’
While the public shelter will seemingly welcome most residents in need, there are some members of the community who may not go there. They include those convicted of sex-related offenses who have since been released back into society.
“If you are a predator, you are not allowed at the Rymfire shelter,” Sheriff Rick Staly said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
Instead, Staly said, officials have already made other arrangements for these potentially dangerous individuals.
“If you are designated under Florida law as a sex predator and you need shelter, you need to go to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility,” Staly continued. He then quickly noted, “That’s the county jail.”
“We will accommodate you in the lobby of that building. You’ve probably seen it before, I would guess,” he added with a straight face.
The clip of those remarks can be seen here. The full press conference can be viewed below.
Sheriff Staly also issued a warning against would-be looters tempted to exploit the situation and “prey” upon vulnerable residents in Flagler County.
“To the criminals who think they can prey on our community, just remember during times of disaster, we have extra deputies on patrol,” Staly noted. “Our real-time crime center is up and functional, and we have lots of cameras in this county. … If you prey on this community you will ride out the storm at the county jail.”
The evacuation order remains in effect in Flagler County until 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
“We’ll get through this together,” Sheriff Staly assured everyone.
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