TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Senate Rules Committee has approved an amendment to SB 600 that preserves nonprofit bail funds in the state, a move supporters say will prevent increased jail costs and protect pretrial freedom for low-income Floridians.
The action follows concerns expressed to News 6 that the original version of the bill could end charitable bail programs and raise taxpayer costs.
The original language would have prevented nonprofits from recovering and reusing bail money, even when defendants returned to court and met all pretrial requirements.
According to The Bail Project, that change would have made it nearly impossible for charitable bail funds to operate in Florida.
Under current law, organizations can reuse refunded bail funds to assist others who qualify for release. Supporters argue that practice reduces jail overcrowding and avoids additional costs for counties.
Erin George, the national director of policy for The Bail Project, applauded the committee’s decision, saying the amendment maintains what she believes is a fair and effective status quo.
“The status quo is saving taxpayer dollars. The status quo is making sure that jails are not overcrowded, and the status quo is making individuals stable, making communities more stable,” George said, calling on House members to follow the Senate’s lead.
Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg spoke in favor of the amendment at the Senate Rules committee on Feb. 24.
“[This amendment] removes the language that unfairly targets charitable bail groups…and preserves the existing statutory language and legal status quo in Florida,” Rouson said.
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Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, also backed the change.
“I absolutely believe in second chances… If the money comes back, it should go to the individual or the group that gave the money,” Harrell said.
Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, raised concerns about limiting nonprofit efforts.
“I don’t like the fact that we’re, in a sense, choking out these charitable organizations because there are families that just can’t afford it… A third of those folks sitting in these jails [have] the charges dropped, and we’ve just got them sitting because they can’t afford to get out,” Simon said.
Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said the current system is working.
“The people who benefit from [this amendment] are the nonprofit organizations... it’s working, it’s not broke, it doesn’t need to be fixed. I... support this amendment to keep what’s already happening in place,” Jones said.
Not all lawmakers agreed.
Sen. Jay Truenow, R-Tavares, voiced general concerns about charitable bail operations.
“Some charitable bail projects do cause burden on the taxpayer. Some of these charities are a little bit nefarious. They’re not always exactly what was presented to you today. I’m going to go with the will of the committee on this, but that’s where I stand on this,” Truenow said.
The amended version of the bill passed 23-0.
In response to Sen. Truenow’s comments, George said, “I’m not clear on what that comment was in reference to. I do know that we are not a taxpayer burden. And in fact, we provide benefit to taxpayers. In the four years that we’ve been operating, we’ve saved $11 million in taxpayer dollars by preventing almost 100,000 days of incarceration. So, we urge the House to adopt the Senate amendment and pass the Senate version of the bill.”
The Bail Project said it plans to continue working with lawmakers in both chambers to ensure that Florida law strengthens public safety, preserves fairness, and avoids increasing costs for counties.