The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
April 16, 2025
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The Florida Bar
FFLA GRANT TO LEGAL AID SERVICE OF BROWARD COUNTY HELPED 1,770 IN NEED
The Florida Bar | Article | April 16, 2025
In 2024, Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. (LASBC) provided free legal services to 724 clients in Broward County through a $2,010,817 grant from Funding Florida Legal Aid (FFLA), supported by Florida’s Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA) program. Services included assistance with eviction, homelessness, debt collection, and other civil legal issues for individuals unable to afford private counsel. Including household members, the grant helped over 1,770 residents. LASBC Regional Executive Director Debra Koprowski called the grant a “game-changer” that strengthened the organization’s ability to meet increasing community needs. FFLA, a statewide nonprofit, allocates annual grants and supports legal aid providers through investments in training, technology, and program development.
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Civil Justice
JTA GENERAL COUNSEL SAYS TUITION REIMBURSEMENT POLICY CONTAINS ‘NOTHING UNUSUAL OR INAPPROPRIATE’
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | April 15, 2025
On April 15, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) General Counsel Richard Milian said he found “nothing unusual or inappropriate” in JTA’s tuition reimbursement policy after former board member Megan Hayward raised concerns on March 27. Hayward questioned whether the policy favored executives and violated IRS rules by exceeding the $5,250 cap and benefiting highly compensated employees. Milian said full-time employees who’ve worked at JTA for at least a year are eligible for up to $5,250 annually for job-related courses. He added that JTA’s CEO, Nat Ford, may negotiate customized reimbursement agreements for hires with special skills, such as expertise in cybersecurity or autonomous technology. On April 8, the Jacksonville City Council voted to replace her with Elaine Brown, a former council president and Neptune Beach mayor, at the request of Mayor Donna Deegan. Hayward was appointed in 2023 to a partial term set to expire in May 2025.
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Criminal Justice
FLORIDA’S ‘JUVENILE LIFERS’ LOSE PAROLE CHALLENGE IN APPEALS COURT
News Service of Florida | Article | April 16, 2025
On Tuesday [April 15], a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a constitutional challenge to Florida’s parole system brought by inmates sentenced as juveniles. The class-action lawsuit claimed the system violated the Eighth Amendment and due process rights. Judge Kevin Newsom, joined by Judges Jill Pryor and Barbara Lagoa, upheld a lower court ruling, stating the Florida Commission on Offender Review provides a “meaningful opportunity” for release, as required under the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision Graham v. Florida. The case involved about 170 “juvenile lifers” imprisoned before Florida eliminated parole in the 1980s–1990s. The ruling noted that since 2012, around two juvenile lifers per year have been granted parole. The plaintiffs argued that the Graham standard should extend to juveniles convicted of murder, but the court said the U.S. Supreme Court has not endorsed that extension. The court concluded Florida’s parole system, while limited, is not a “sham.”
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Criminal Justice
‘LIVE UP TO THAT DEAL:’ MIAMI ATTORNEY MOVES FOR SUPREME COURT TO OVERTURN GHISLAINE MAXWELL’S CONVICTION
Daily Business Review | Article | April 15, 2025
On Thursday [April 10], attorney David Markus of Markus/Moss in Miami filed a 159-page petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 conviction for sexually exploiting minors. Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years, argues that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Jeffrey Epstein and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, then led by Alexander Acosta, granted her immunity as a potential co-conspirator. Markus contends the agreement, which protected unnamed co-conspirators without geographic limits, was binding and that prosecuting Maxwell in the Southern District of New York violated it. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 and died in custody in 2019. Maxwell was indicted in New York one year later on similar charges. Markus said the case exposes inconsistencies in how plea agreements are enforced across jurisdictions and urged the Court to provide clarity. If the Court agrees to hear the case and rules in Maxwell’s favor, her conviction would be vacated.
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Criminal Justice
JURY SELECTION SET TO START MONDAY IN DELTONA XBOX MASS MURDER RESENTENCING
Daytona Beach News-Journal | Article | April 16, 2025
Jury selection begins Monday [April 21] at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand for the resentencing of Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter, convicted in the 2004 Xbox murders in Deltona. Both were sentenced to death in 2006 for their roles in the killing of six people but had their sentences overturned after a 2016 Florida Supreme Court ruling required unanimous jury recommendations for the death penalty. Circuit Judge Randell Rowe III declared a mistrial during a 2023 resentencing due to legal disputes over a new Florida law, signed April 20, 2023, lowering the requirement to eight jurors. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols will now preside. Victorino, Hunter, Michael Salas, and Robert Cannon killed Erin Belanger, Michelle Nathan, Roberto Gonzalez, Jonathan Gleason, Francisco Ayo-Roman, and Anthony Vega on August 6, 2004. Salas and Cannon received life sentences. Victorino and Hunter may now be resentenced to life without parole or the death penalty.