In the News
Florida Democratic Party Announces Members of its Safety & Justice Task Force, Aiming to Help Bring Florida’s Justice System “Into the 21st Century”
The Florida Democratic Party is proud to announce the members of its recently created Safety & Justice Task Force. These leaders will be working across the state over the next several months, gathering ideas from local leaders, law enforcement, and victim advocates to help bring Florida’s justice system into the 21st Century.
The members of the Safety & Justice Task Force are:
- State Attorney Andrew Warren, Chair (Hillsborough County/Tampa)
- Public Defender Carlos Martinez (Miami-Dade County/Miami)
- Sheriff Walt McNeil (Leon County/Tallahassee)
- Marcia Brown, Executive Director, Teen Leaders of America (Duval County/Jacksonville)
- Asha Terminello, MS; Chief Executive Officer; ACTS, the Agency for Community Treatment Services (Hillsborough County/Tampa)
The mission of the Safety & Justice Task Force is to develop common-sense solutions around criminal justice and police reform that improve safety for Florida families and respect the rights of every citizen.
“Floridians have bold ideas for modernizing our justice system—reducing violent crime, extending treatment to people with mental illness or substance abuse, and improving accountability for law enforcement,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz said. “This Task Force will lead a statewide conversation that brings forward the best of those ideas, all focused on building a criminal justice system that is less wasteful and more effective at keeping our communities safe.”
Three expected areas of focus will be:
- Reducing crime by tackling the root causes of criminal behavior and minimizing recidivism
- Prioritizing prosecuting the greatest threats to communities, with alternatives to put low-level offenders back on the right path
- Building stronger bonds between law enforcement and the communities they serve
The Safety & Justice Task Force will work with stakeholders across Florida, meeting with local communities, small businesses, law enforcement leaders, victim advocates, and faith leaders to discuss and develop policy regarding our state’s criminal justice system.
The goal is to develop model policies for cities and counties, then work with local leaders to implement them to improve the effectiveness and fairness of law enforcement agencies, prosecutor’s offices, and the criminal justice system as a whole.
“The members of our Task Force have all seen a different face of the justice system. Law enforcement, prosecution, defense, rehabilitation, prevention—all these perspectives will help us ask the right questions and find real, workable solutions to make our communities safer and our system more fair and effective, ” said Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, the Task Force’s Chair.
The Safety & Justice Task Force will begin planning proposals and holding discussions with local communities in the coming months—more details and exact dates and times will be announced. Photos of the Task Force members are available at this link.