criminal justice

In the weeks since a Tallahassee police officer shot and killed Tony McDade, his name has been featured alongside the likes of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd—those who have become symbols of police brutality and racial inequity. He’s also been held up as a symbol of violence against transgender people. McDade was a transgender man. Much of the media attention on McDade has ignored or de-emphasized that, moments before being shot by police, McDade killed 21-year-old Malik Jackson. Now Jackson’s family members are fighting to tell their story.

A hundred years after women earned the right to vote, they’re now the fastest-growing group of people losing it. Part 4 of this series examining felon disenfranchisement looks at how and why women are being incarcerated, and how the issue affects Black women in particular.

After years of voter disenfranchisement, Floridians had finally had enough. In 2018 state voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to most felons. The legislature attempted to stymie that effort by passing a state law requiring them to repay fines, fees, and restitution. A lawsuit ensued, with organizations like the ACLU claiming the law amounted to a poll tax, and Republican lawmakers defending it. This story takes a look at what’s happened with the amendment since it passed, and the push to get people signed up to vote before the August primary.

Florida is appealing a ruling that says it cannot require felons to repay fines, fees, and restitution before registering to vote. Opponents call that requirement a poll tax. The ruling came two years after voters approved a state constitutional amendment allowing most felons to receive their voting rights back. The second part of this series looks at the history of felon voting and what led to 2018's Amendment 4.

Former head and co-founder of Seminole Productions Mark Rodin is being charged with defrauding Florida State University of $1.2 million. In an unrelated case, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced the indictment of five former Florida State University students and one former University of Florida student over embezzling money.

Voter registration advocates are rushing to register new voters in the run-up to the August primary and November presidential election. In Florida, the effort has been slowed as the state fights a lawsuit over whether felons have to repay fines and fees before they can vote. The first of a four-part series examines the implications of Florida’s Amendment 4, and the ongoing battle over felon voting rights.

The Village Square will host three forums to address race and equality in Tallahassee. It's an organization that attempts to bridge partisan divides and move the ball forward on important issues.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians of scammers trying to impersonate health officials. Moody says the calls are going out from people pretending to be contact tracers to get personal details from victims. She's advising people to verify that contact tracing calls are coming from county health departments.

Bay County's first official Juneteenth Celebration took place in downtown Panama City over the weekend. Hundreds of protestors expressed solidarity against racism and called for justice on behalf of African Americans killed by the police.

The man accused of murdering 74-year-old Victoria Sims and 19-year-old Toyin Salau is facing charges of kidnapping, murder and sexual assault. New court filings show 49-year-old Aaron Glee Jr. has confessed to both murders.