Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

In Florida, a person can apply to have his civil rights restored after he sentence is completed.  However, many of Florida's convicted felons do not apply for Florida Civil Right's Restoration until much later.  Waiting to have your Florida Civil Rights restored is not a good idea.  Recently, I spoke with a Florida convicted felon that wanted to restore his civil rights.  Additionally, he wanted the Office of Executive Clemency to grant him the specific authority to possess a firearm.  After speaking with the Office of Executive Clemency, I learned that a Florida convicted felon cannot apply for restoration of his civil rights and the specific right to possess a firearm at the same time.  First, your civil rights must be restored.  Once this is accomplished, you can request that Florida's Office of Executive Clemency grant your request to possess a firearm.

"You do the crime; you do the time."  This is a very popular saying, but what about after you do the time?  That crime continues to follow you.  In Jacksonville, Florida, a felony criminal conviction results in the loss of certain civil rights.  Particularly, a Florida resident that is convicted of a felony loses the right to vote, serve on a jury, obtain certain professional licenses, and hold public office.  Is this really fair?  You already did the time!