Following today’s meeting of the Florida Cabinet as the Board of Executive Clemency, Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried offered the following statement:
“Like many others, I am disappointed that Amendment 4 did not go far enough for those seeking restoration of the rights that they’ve earned. However, clemency is an executive function – that’s why it’s long past time for us as the Clemency Board to adopt new rules pending since January. Right now, more than 10,000 Floridians are waiting for justice. As the Clemency Board was not named in the Amendment 4 litigation, we have no good reason to wait any longer on restoring the fundamental civil rights to which our fellow citizens are entitled. The time is now for the Governor and my Clemency Board colleagues to do our jobs, and do right by those who have paid their debt to society.
