Increased Awareness

As a result of this increased awareness, Florida legislators updated some of Florida’s Justice laws, including raising the felony threshold from $300 to $750 in House Bill 7125. This bill also made it easier for returning citizens to get some state licenses and gave state attorneys greater discretion when considering whether to charge a minor as an adult

Representative Renner

This bill was championed by Representative Paul Renner, who was adamant that he needed our support and the support of our coalition partners in order to have a greater comfort level in moving forward. We continued to support Rep. Renner, and because of his efforts the bill passed overwhelmingly. At the close of the legislative session, we held a luncheon with Representative Renner and our supporters and community leaders.

In Attendance

In attendance we had the Flagler County Sheriff, the Public Defender, several County Commissioners, leadership from the local Republican Party Chapter, as well as pastors, and representatives from Congressman Michael Waltz’s office. We had a robust discussion about the opportunities that exist to do more on justice reform, and the benefits of HB 7125. Representative Renner shared many details about the bill, and the Sheriff discussed some of the challenges that exist in law enforcement today, including dealing with increasing mental illness. We also heard a presentation from Beverly McClain, Founder of Families of Slain Children; a support network for people who lost a child to violent crime.

On The Ground in Florida

The YC4JR engaged in multiple educational events all across the state over the last twelve months including the quarterly meeting of the Florida Republican Party in San Destin. At this meeting, we had the opportunity to address two separate gatherings.

The first was a meeting of the County Chairs of the local Republican committees from nearly every county across the state. The second was a meeting of the State Committeemen, and State Committeewomen from each county across the state. At both meetings, we discussed Amendment 4, and what it meant to meaningfully reach out to returning citizens. We educated the groups on the opportunities that exist in Florida to continue the conversations that were started by amendment 4, and to find additional ways to ensure that the Florida justice system was delivering meaningful opportunities for healing and restoration for victims, while allowing those who took responsibility for their actions a second chance for redemption.

As a result of these presentations, we were invited to counties around the state to give local addresses, and we took as many of those opportunities as we could logistically handle. Additionally, we held a reception and roundtable in St Petersburg and had a fantastic opportunity to engage in a great discussion about how we could work together to spread the message of safety and second chances.

As part of our listening tour, the YC4JR conducted roundtables in Tampa, Clearwater, Miami Lakes, and Lakeland. We were invited to give a presentation at an event called For God and Country, where hundreds of people gathered from dozens of churches across the area.

At each of these events, our message of restoration, safety, and second chances was well received. Our supporters were eager to learn more and become more engaged in making a difference in the lives of their fellow Floridians.

In addition to educating the grassroots, we educated Florida lawmakers as well, with trips to Tallahassee. One of these trips included a three-hour meeting with Representative Jamie Grant, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He is a great supporter of YC4JC and has been a champion for our initiatives.

Additionally, we met with the following House and Senate members:

• Senator Baxley
• Senator Simmons (President Pro Tempore)
• Senator Simpson (President Designate)
• Senator Stargel
• Senate President Galvano
• Senator Brandes
• Senator Hooper
• Representative Stone
• Representative Eagle (Majority Leader)
• Representative Grall
• Representative Donalds
• Representative Fisher
• Representative Grant
• Representative Zika
• Representative LaMarca
• Representative Plakon
• Representative Hill
• Representative Latvala