Former state Senate Democratic leaders Arthenia Joyner and Chris Smith have filed a measure with the Constitution Revision Commission that would restore voting rights to felons who have served their time and completed any other post-prison requirements.
Longtime Puerto Rican prisoner Oscar López Rivera — known as a political prisoner to his supporters and as a convicted member of a murderous terrorist organization to his foes — is being freed under a clemency granted by President Barack Obama, according to one key lawmaker U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, an Illinois Democrat who has campaigned for Lopez’s freedom including in a stop in Orlando last year, announced Tuesday that he had been informed Obama is granting clemency. López is from Chicago.…
Being a felon in Florida — in America — means losing a few privileges, a few civil rights. In this state, you’ll no longer retain the right to vote, hold public office, sit on a jury (not that anyone ever really wants to do that), and possess a firearm, should you be convicted of any felony charge. People like Reggie Garcia, a soon-to-be 55-year-old clemency attorney originally from Tampa, realize that in some instances, it just takes being in the…
Lobbyist Reggie Garcia is the subject of the newest chapter of the “4th Floor Files.” Garcia is also a clemency lawyer who spends a lot of his time lobbying the governor and Cabinet for clemency on behalf of clients. Garcia has his own practice and his lobbying clients include Clinton Treadway, the Florida Justice Association, the Florida Education Fund, Florida Association of Broadcasters and the Drive Safely Forum. He recently authored How to Leave Prison Early, a do-it-yourself guide for parolees and clemency petitioners…
