VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County has introduced what officials describe as Florida’s first online database of domestic violence offenders, giving residents another way to make informed decisions about the people they invite into their lives.
The live database is linked directly to the county court system and includes anyone convicted of a domestic or dating violence offense in a Volusia County courthouse during the past 10 years.
[GET HELP: Find programs for domestic violence survivors across Central Florida]
Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart proposed the database. He said it could be useful not only to people navigating dating relationships, but also to families and others who bring workers or caregivers into their homes.
“We have a very large elderly community here in Volusia County, and unfortunately, not everybody is equipped with the financial means to put them into residential treatment or something,” Reinhart said. “They have to involve individuals coming into their home. Wouldn’t you want to know if those individuals had a propensity to violence?”
Emma Sanders, an advocate for domestic violence survivors, said the resource could make a significant difference, even if it helps only one person.
“It’s not the answer to everyone’s problem, but an answer to someone’s problem,” Sanders said. “And the goal is to, even if we just reach one, then we’ve done our job.”
Sanders said access to the information can help people assess their options when they encounter someone listed in the registry.
“So I have informed decision-making choices and my ‘what to do next’ if I come across this person in my everyday life,” Sanders said.
The registry is available through the Volusia County government website HERE. It lists offenders’ names, booking photos and associated court cases, but contains no information identifying victims.
Reinhart stressed that the database records convictions, not arrests.
“The database will receive information on Volusia County convictions only,” Reinhart said. “So someone is convicted of domestic violence or anything under that relevant statute. They will go into that database once they’re convicted, not arrested but convicted. And it is one conviction.”
County officials describe the registry as an additional way to review public records, not as a guarantee of a person’s current behavior. Sanders said she hopes the approach expands to other counties.
“It should be everywhere, because then you can’t escape from one county to the next,” Sanders said.
Reinhart said Volusia County is already working with state leaders who want to expand the database statewide within the next year.
