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Where do evacuated sex offenders go during hurricane?

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Many shelters across Central Florida will open Friday to residents who need to evacuate from Hurricane Irma. But Eyewitness News wanted to know where sex offenders will stay if they’ve been told to evacuate their neighborhoods.

Sex offenders in each county are given a designated location that is separate from general population shelters. Most of the sex offenders under state-wide community control are being told they can report to their nearest prison or jail.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd tweeted Wednesday that "his county cannot and will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders and predators."

Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson told Channel 9's Janine Reyes that the county designates a shelter for sex offenders, but he did not disclose the location.

Orange County also has plans in place.

“If individuals have sex offenders, we have made provisions in this county where they can go to specific locations where they don't have to interact with children and other people,” said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

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