Give Florida's ex-felons a reason to stay straight
Palm Beach Post, March 1, 2007

Restoring rights quickly is revisited: Gov. Crist now says he is open to excluding released felons whose crimes were violent.
St. Petersburg Times, March 2, 2007

Giving ex-offenders a chance to make good
Tallahassee Democrat, February 26, 2007

Crist: I'll restore felons' rights
St. Petersburg Times, February 22, 2007

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Governor's Ex-Offender Task Force Final Report to the Governor

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Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Launches Web Site for Ex-Offenders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 22, 2007

CONTACT:
Muslima Lewis, FRRC, 786.363.2700
Brandon Hensler, ACLU, 786.363.2700

MIAMI – The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition today announced it has launched a Web site to assist ex-offenders navigate Florida’s cumbersome clemency process and raise public awareness around the issue. It features information on how to restore your rights, e-mail alerts and a direct donation link for the public to support the organization. Visit the Web site today and sign up for FRRC Action Alerts: www.restorerights.org.

“We are at a crucial point in our history – it is past time to end the Reconstruction-era ban on voting and other civil rights,” said Muslima Lewis, a senior attorney for the ACLU of Florida, FRRC member organization. “There is a lot of work to be done by the Clemency Board, legislature and the coalition. We are hopeful that this will be the year we find a breakthrough and we are dependent on our supporters to see us through to the end.”

Florida is one of only three states that permanently take away the civil rights (including the right to vote, hold public office and serve on a jury) of people who have been convicted of crimes, even once they have completed their sentence and all terms of probation. Denial of civil rights also impedes citizens’ ability to obtain certain state-issued occupational licenses. Intended to deny rights to African-Americans after the Civil War, the law was never removed from Florida’s Constitution. The Florida constitution denies fundamental civil rights to close to one million Floridians.

Governor Crist proclaims via his Web site “that once a prisoner serves his or her debt to society, the state should automatically restore his or her civil rights so that the ex-offender may vote and become gainfully employed.” It is time for Florida to move forward with the rest of the country. Gov. Crist, with the support of two Cabinet members, can alleviate this crisis immediately by making rights restoration virtually automatic once a sentence has been completed.

Take Action today – Ask Governor Crist to implement immediate clemency reform to restore rights to the nearly one million Floridians whose civil rights have been stripped. Log on to find more information on how to contact Governor Crist and his cabinet at: www.restorerights.org.

About the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) is a non-partisan statewide coalition of nearly forty local, state and national organizations dedicated to achieving permanent reform through a state constitutional amendment. It is the mission of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition ("FRRC") to have Florida join the 36 states in the nation that automatically restore the civil rights of all individuals with past felony convictions upon completion of their sentences. Until permanent reform can be achieved, the FRRC is also dedicated to helping people through the current process of applying for restoration of their civil and voting rights. For additional information, visit www.restorerights.org.

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