Wrongly incarcerated Floridians could have an easier time seeking compensation for the time taken from them under proposals that are again advancing in the Legislature.

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice voted unanimously for SB 130, which would repeal a unique Florida law that prevents some exonerees from receiving recompense

The bill has one more committee stop before reaching a floor vote. Its House twin (HB 59) has two more stops.

If passed, the legislation would make several notable changes to existing state law, including extending the time an exoneree must file for compensation from 90 days of an order vacating their conviction to two years.

Most notably, it would delete part of Florida Statute 961.04 that denies payment to exonerees with more than one nonviolent felony. Florida is the only state in the nation with that restriction, known commonly as the “clean hands” rule.

Fleming Island Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Tampa Rep. Traci Koster, both Republicans, have been tried repeatedly to nix the rule, to varying degrees of success. In 2023, for instance, Bradley and Koster’s bills cleared every committee in their respective chambers before the legislation died without a vote on the House floor.

Last year, the bills died unheard.

Bradley noted during a brief speech to the Senate panel Wednesday that since Florida lawmakers enacted a statute enabling wrongly incarcerated people to seek compensation in 2018, 18 exonerees have been denied for more than a combined 300 years of lost liberty.

“This bill is not about having strong penalties against criminals who commit bad acts in our state. This bill is (for) people who are exonerated, who have been found factually innocent by the original sentencing court,” she said. “That’s the universe of focus we’re talking about, and this bill rights that wrong and gets them compensation that’s deserved when the state gets it wrong.”

Florida law today provides that wrongly incarcerated individuals are eligible to receive no more than $50,000 for each year they unjustly spent behind bars. That amounted to $1.85 million approved in June 2023 for Robert Earl DuBoise, who served 37 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Several advocacy organizations signaled support for the legislation, including the Innocence Project of Florida, Americans for Prosperity, Florida Smart Justice and the Alliance for Safety and Justice.

SB 130 will next go to the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee, after which it would advance to the Senate floor. HB 59 must clear the House Budget and Judiciary committees before a full vote of the chamber.

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Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has no problem calling some states winners and others losers. And he says Florida is on a winning streak.

“There’s a reason that everybody moves from Massachusetts to Florida,” he said. “There’s a reason that happens. It’s the competition of states, which is a very healthy dynamic. You’re pro-business, that’s very important.”

A recent transplant from Boston to Miami Beach himself, it’s little surprise he sees Florida as a better place to do business. But he said in some parts of the country, individuals can move their residencies or businesses a few miles and be in a much better tax climate.

O’Leary, an international investor and successful entrepreneur, offered his praise of the Sunshine State during a “fireside chat” with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, part of the Rescuing the American Dream summit headlined by the Senator in Washington.

Scott said the business environment produced benefits for states beyond the entrepreneurs themselves.

“We get a lot of retirees in Florida,” he said. “They go make their money in some other state, and they come down to Florida and invest all their money afterward. They give it to our charities.”

The event sought to establish how conservatives can best advance President Donald Trump’s agenda over the first 100 days of his presidency. But O’Leary, an outspoken fiscal conservative, made clear he supports policies, not politicians.

Scott, a health care executive before his time in elected office, spoke to O’Leary about a range of topics from cryptocurrency to economic growth. O’Leary endorsed the STABLE Act and GENIUS Act, two pieces of legislation that would establish a consistent regulatory framework around digital currency and ensure their value remains backed by the U.S. dollar.

Scott also asked O’Leary about a Trump proposal to allow wealthy individuals to buy citizenship for $5 million. O’Leary, a native of Canada, said other countries have similar systems already, but the U.S. would need safeguards so criminals and ill-intended people with large sums of money couldn’t skirt any vetting.

But he also said the U.S. should work to allow some foreign nationals who acquire an education in the U.S. to stay here with less hassle. As a Harvard business instructor, he said it frustrated him when strong students are told they will be kicked out of the country.

“I mean, it’s nuts. That’s crazy, you have to admit,” he said to Scott.

“Okay, I agree,” Scott said.

O’Leary said he feels hopeful that the U.S. and Canada can find a mutually beneficial alliance to unify their economies. He said that doesn’t have to include making Canada part of the U.S. But he said a conservative victory in Canada would ease that, and a surge in the Liberal Party polling in recent days could complicate that. The biggest obstacle to a deal, he said, is the animus between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who leaves office in weeks regardless.

In the end, he said all policies crafted in Congress should keep in mind an outcome very much in keeping with the summit’s name.

“What is America’s No. 1 export? Is it energy? Is it technology? Is it grain?” O’Leary said. “No it’s that.” He pointed at the words “American Dream” on the summit signage.

“There’s a reason everybody kills themselves to get here, or goes over the river or barbed wire or breaks anything legally,” he said. “They want to be part of the American Dream.”

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Gov. Ron DeSantis wants you to have a fun Spring Break — as long as you don’t actually break anything.

“We want people to have a good time, but we must maintain public order,” DeSantis said as he announced Florida is deploying extra resources across the state to crack down on out-of-control partying.

Twelve local agencies requested extra assistance, so the state will deploy more than 100 Florida State Troopers, DeSantis said at a press conference in Miami Beach in advance of the upcoming busy holiday.

“We owe it to the people that live here. We owe it to people that visit here to make sure that this is orderly and safe for everybody involved,” DeSantis said. “Once again, the state is providing resources that cities throughout our state need to ensure Spring Break does not descend into chaos and mayhem.”

The state has equipment ready on standby, including drones, planes, canine units and BearCat armored vehicles, DeSantis said.

Spring Break is big business for Florida, as visitors from up north travel to beaches and theme parks.

But in 2024, around 140 Florida State Troopers were out at DUI checkpoints, doing curfew and traffic enforcements and street patrol in cities across Florida. In Miami Beach alone, there were about 50 extra officers on hand. By the end of Spring Break, there were 36 felony arrests statewide — 16 of them in Miami Beach, DeSantis said Thursday. Last year, police also arrested 51 on misdemeanors and 11 DUI arrests in Florida.

“That’s a huge deterrent when people are being held accountable,” DeSantis said.

He added there was a decrease in businesses complaining about destruction or guests running out on their bills.

“I think most people you talked to, 2024 was the smoothest and most successful Spring Break we’ve had here in a long time,” he said.

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