TALLAHASSEE, FL - A building currently zoned for a church in Woodville has been sent a letter from Leon County requesting they stop using the facility as transitional housing for sex offenders.
According to a letter sent by the Leon County Administrator to the county commissioners, the Good Samaritan Thrift Store on Woodville Highway has been used for transitional housing, when it is only cited to be used for religious purposes.
One of the major concerns for neighbors is that 14 sex offenders are registered to the address of the thrift store, seven of whom are considered predators. The building is located less than a half of a mile from Woodville Elementary School.
According to the letter, the group Good Samaritan Network filed to have the site changed from a commercial zone to a church. However, nowhere in that request did it say they were allowed to use the site for transitional housing.
They have the ability to file to become a transitional housing facility, which would have to go through traditional reviews by the county. Until then, the letter state they have seven days to cease housing these people.
The Leon County Sheriff's Office has received complaints regarding the facility housing registered sex offenders, but the letter states that there are no criminal violations, and that, "...[the Sheriff's] deputies report that the program appears to be very well run, is providing re-entry jobs to past offenders, and appears to be abiding by strict programmatic supervision and behavior criteria in concert with the DOC."
The Leon County Schools will be holding a public hearing at the Woodville Elementary School Thursday night at 6:15 p.m. to listen to resident concerns, the school district said.
