The Florida Legislature is in full swing for the 2023 Legislative Session in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee is already active with 39 bills pending action before the committee. Some of the key bills to keep an eye on this session are the following:
1. Increasing criminal penalties for trafficking in Fentanyl.
2. Prohibiting a trial court from accepting specified plea deal when a person is charged with DUI, unless specified conditions are met.
3. Requiring courts to automatically seal certain criminal history records that meet certain criteria.
4. Creation of a first-offender plea deal pilot program.
As these and other bills make their way through the committee process, I will be back with a Part II to give updates as to their status and more specific details if they are passed. Stay tuned...
Philip J. Bonamo, Partner, Board Certified Criminal Trial Attorney