JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group on a mission to pay off the fines and fees former felons in Florida owe so they can vote in the November election made a sizeable payment to the Duval County Clerk of Courts.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition made a series of four payments last week to pay down the balance of numerous felony cases, according to Brian Corrigan, a spokesman for the Duval County Clerk of Courts. Corrigan said the coalition's payments totaled just shy of $179,000.
While Floridians approved Amendment 4 in 2018 to allow ex-felons the right to vote, earlier this year the Florida Supreme Court affirmed that in order to vote every part of the sentence must be completed – including paying fines and fees associated with the felony case.
In late September FRRC announced it had raised more than $20 million in donations from 44,000 individuals across the country to help former felons regain the right to vote. Donors, according to the coalition, included celebrities like John Legend, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Steven Spielberg.
The Duval County Clerk of Courts Office told First Coast News, "Between the five payments, the FRRC paid a total of $190,621 toward paying off financial obligations. Within that total payment, 555 defendants have had all of their Duval felony financial obligations cleared. An additional 84 had some of their remaining financial obligations paid."
The payments were made just days before the deadline to register to vote in Florida.