FL S1332

Acknowledges the grave injustice perpetrated against Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas (the "Groveland Four"), who were arrested in July 1949 for the alleged rape of a white woman despite lack of physical evidence and established alibis.

Recognizes that the four men were presumed guilty based on racial hatred, with three convicted and sentenced (Greenlee to life imprisonment, Irvin and Shepherd to death), while Ernest Thomas was shot to death by a deputized posse.

Notes that the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions in 1951 and ordered a retrial, but Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall and Deputy James L. Yates shot both Irvin and Shepherd during transport in November 1951, killing Shepherd.

Formally exonerates all four men and offers an official apology to the Groveland Four and their families for the wrongs perpetrated by the criminal justice system, law enforcement, and individuals motivated by racial hatred.

Urges the Governor and Cabinet to review the cases and grant pardons to Walter Irvin and Charles Greenlee.