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Civil Asset Forfeiture

Task force would seek to remake Florida’s criminal justice system

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Florida’s state lawmakers increasingly are embracing criminal justice reform policies that break with the state’s “tough on crime” past. But a sea change could be in the works. But a sea change could be in the works. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, and the GOP-controlled legislature approved one of the most far-reaching civil asset forfeiture reforms in the country, repealed a 10-20-life mandatory minimum sentencing law, and expanded health care delivery for mentally ill inmates. Mental health advocates say…

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Proposed legislation could break the cycle of debt for many caught in Florida’s legal system

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It’s a vicious circle: Poor people who can’t afford their court-related costs and penalties incur escalating costs for not paying, further indebting them to the state. “It’s a circle that some people get stuck in and they can’t get out,” Christopher Torres, a Tallahassee defense attorney and former Florida assistant attorney general, told Watchdog.org. Compounding the problem is the state’s practice of suspending drivers’ licenses as both a punishment for delinquent payments and an incentive to get people to pay up. For those…

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Forfeiture reform headed to Gov. Scott, but is it in the 2016 mix?

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Yesterday, Florida Politics reported on the stunning victory that Sen. Jeff Brandes’ Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill (SB 1044) saw in the Florida House, passing unanimously in that chamber. SB 1044 had passed the Senate (also unanimously) last Friday. The success of this bill – which requires that law enforcement charge someone with a crime before seizing their assets, among other reforms – has been largely credited to Brandes and the compromise he negotiated between the Florida Sheriffs and liberal and…

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Senate tees up civil asset forfeiture bill for floor vote

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A proposal to stop law enforcement officials from wantonly confiscating Floridians’ property was amended and discussed in the Florida Senate on Thursday. The proposal – SB 1044 by Sen. Jeff Brandes – got a final tune up before heading to the Senate floor for a full vote, which is scheduled for Friday. The St. Petersburg Republican introduced four tweaks to his bill, all of which were adopted. Though he faced queries from Republican Sens. Charlie Dean and Greg Evers as well as Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner about whether the changes were…

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Ben Pollara: Why I support Jeff Brandes for Florida Senate

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I’ve been a member of the Florida Democratic Party since I first registered to vote at 18. I’ve never voted for, nor given money to, a Republican running for a partisan office. “Hyperpartisan” is an apt description of my political state of mind. But the other day, I contributed $1,000 – the maximum I could give under Florida law – to state Sen. Jeff Brandes’ re-election campaign, and I could not have been happier to do so. My donation wasn’t…

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