For decades, its tiny one-story residences housed migrants who worked the nearby sugar fields. Today, they house migrants of a different sort. Most of its residents are convicted sex offenders. Sofia Valiente, a year-old photographer and a resident of Florida since she was 10, began visiting the community in January , spending a total of three months there and even living in the residential complex for several weeks.
There are almost , federally registered sex offenders in the U. That registry originated in the s when Congress passed legislation that severely targeted those who commit violent crimes and crimes against children. Cities and counties oftentimes have their own laws, some more stringent than others. Curfew for some in Miracle Village is 7 p. Many residents have to wear GPS-monitored ankle bracelets that keep tabs on them at all times.
A more pressing difficulty, however, is often finding a place to live. In some counties in Florida, sex offenders are banned from being within 3, feet of places where children congregate, making living in most towns and cities virtually impossible. In , Dick Witherow, a local evangelical pastor, founded Miracle Village as a sort of haven for area sex offenders struggling to find housing.
He told me that I was never going to leave him with our children. The course of events that led up to me being arrested is too long of a story and very painful for me to speak about in detail. Sofia Valiente is a fine art photographer based in South Florida.
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