Mission

To educate and inform Floridians on best policies and practices which increase public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and increase the likelihood that justice-involved youth and adults will become contributing members of society.

Legislation Recap - 2019 Session

Florida Capitol and House buildings

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Below are the key bills pertaining to justice reform issues that were filed during Florida's 2019 Legislative Session. Each listing is a link connecting to the bill's corresponding webpage hosted by the Florida House or Senate. Follow each link for a bill description and information on the bill's current status.




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Bills signed into law by Governor DeSantis

SB 182 - Medical Use of Marijuana

SB 910 - Court-ordered Treatment Programs
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SB 7066 - Election Administration [restoration of voting rights]

HB 7107 - Controlled Substances

HB 7125 - Public Safety (Omnibus Criminal Justice Reform Bill/Florida First Step Act​)


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Failed bills
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SB 534 - Pretrial Release

SB 966 - Juvenile Diversion Expungement

SB 1074 - Sentencing

Legislation Archive


Legislation Recap - 2018 Session
Legislation Recap - 2017 Session
Legislation Recap - 2016 Session
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News reports covering current hot topics in justice reform

Sentencing Reform
November 19, 2019

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DeSantis lukewarm on releasing Florida prisoners with outdated sentences - Tampa Bay Times, 11/19/2019

Release nonviolent felons convicted before Florida lawmakers relaxed harsh sentences - Opinion - Tampa Bay Times, 11/18/2019

Death penalty days numbered? [FL] - Takeaways from Tallahassee, Florida Politics, 11/16/2019

St. Petersburg lawmaker files bill to reduce outdated drug sentences for Florida inmates - Tampa Bay Times, 11/14/2019

Audit looms for clemency backlog [FL] - Florida Politics, 11/14/2019

Hundreds of Florida inmates are serving drug sentences no longer in state law - Tampa Bay Times, 11/13/2019

Rob Bradley’s sentencing reform push has merit [FL] - Opinion - Florida Politics, 11/13/2019

Rob Bradley: ‘It’s time’ for sentencing reform [FL] - Florida Politics, 11/12/2019

Give judges power to protect Florida citizens - Opinion - Pensacola News-Journal, 11/12/2019

More than 450 Oklahoma inmates released in massive commutation - CBS News / MSN, 11/5/2019

More executions delayed to 2020 in Ohio - Patch / MSN, 10/31/2019

[State] Rep. Alex Andrade's bill would end mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenses [FL] - Pensacola News-Journal, 10/30/2019

Amendment 4 confusion remains as leader of campaign plans to cast his first vote in Orlando [FL] - Orlando Sentinel, 10/25/2019

Death row exonerees ask DeSantis to halt execution [FL] - Tampa Bay Times, 10/23/2019

Gov. DeSantis, don’t risk executing an innocent veteran [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 10/23/2019

Jeff Brandes introduces a slew of sentencing reforms [FL] - Florida Politics, 10/21/2019

Criminal justice reform legislation could allow judges greater discretion with drug sentencing [FL] - Florida Politics, 10/18/2019

Democrat lawmakers call for leniency for non-violent offenders [FL] - Florida Politics, 10/15/2019

Jeff Brandes again seeks to scale back mandatory minimum sentencing [FL] - Florida Politics, 10/7/2019

On gain time [FL] - Takeaways from Tallahassee, Florida Politics, 10/5/2019

Virginia made most of its execution process secret. Now news outlets are suing - The Virginian-Pilot, 9/27/2019

Gain time increase filed [FL] - Takeaways from Tallahassee, Florida Politics, 9/21/2019

A mother’s plea: Get rid of mandatory minimum sentencing [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 9/6/2019

Restorative justice could be path forward [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 8/24/2019

Death penalty is immoral, expensive [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 8/22/2019

Cuomo signs legislation allowing more crime victims to sue for damages [NY] - Albany Times-Union, 8/21/2019

Churches want chief open to restorative justice [FL] - Tallahassee Democrat, 8/20/2019

Coalition seeks to expand ‘restorative justice’ [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 8/19/2019

Catholic bishops urge Ron DeSantis to commute Gary Ray Bowles’ death sentence [FL] - Florida Politics, 8/16/2019

Death penalty helping Trump upstage Democrats [US] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 7/28/2019

US government will execute inmates for first time since 2003 - The Associated Press, 7/26/2019

Dear Gov. DeSantis: Florida’s death penalty is broken - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 7/20/2019

Stealing stuff worth less than $750 still a crime in Florida, but soon won’t be a felony - Miami Herald, 7/1/2019
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FCAJ News

Research Central: Just the Facts
There is a good reason why the justice reform movement is largely a bipartisan effort: it is ideally based on sound facts and trustworthy information. But in this era of fake news and alternative facts, where can you get information that you can count on?  Read More
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FCAJ Launches 'Money in the Pot' Research Series
Florida is entering a new era with its implementation of medical marijuana. How will the state generate revenue from this new market? What are the policies in other states? To help answer these and other questions, the FCAJ has launched a comprehensive...  Read More

Support the Transformation: Donate
You can add your voice to the center's in seeking meaningful justice reform in a variety of ways, including joining the FCAJ website, providing your comments, and by making a financial contribution. FCAJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your...  Read More

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Did You Know...

The U.S. houses 25% of the world's prisoners while only having 5% of the world's population.

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