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FL H6523
Bill
Status
Introduced
12/2/2025
Primary Sponsor
RaShon Young
Click for details
AI Summary
- Appropriates funds from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of State for compensation to descendants of Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas, known as the "Groveland Four"
- Addresses the 1949 case in Lake County where four Black men were wrongfully accused of rape, despite lack of physical evidence and established alibis
- Acknowledges that Ernest Thomas was killed by a deputized posse with over 400 gunshot wounds, Samuel Shepherd was shot and killed by the Lake County Sheriff in 1951, and the surviving men were severely beaten and coerced into confessions
- Follows the 2019 posthumous pardons issued by Governor DeSantis and the 2021 court dismissal of indictments and convictions by the Lake County State Attorney's Office
- Recipients of compensation under this act become ineligible for any further compensation related to this case
Legislative Description
Descendants and Estates of Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
1/13/2026
Committee Referrals
Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee1/5/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available