August 20, 2019

Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment to restore rights to felons. Article VI, Section 4(a) of the Florida Constitution reads:

“No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, shall be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil rights or removal of disability. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation.”

Senate Bill 7066, which was signed into law by Governor DeSantis, defines the phrase “completion of all terms of sentence.” This definition is expansive, containing voluminous subsections. Notably, though, it specifies that all monetary fines must be satisfied to qualify for restoration of rights.

The law further says that if a felon has his outstanding fines converted into a civil lien, that too prevents qualifying for restoration. There is, however, a part of the law that says “A term required to be completed in accordance with this paragraph shall be deemed completed if the court modifies the original sentencing order to no longer require completion of such term.”

This simply means, if there are still outstanding monetary obligations associated with a felony conviction, rights won’t be restored. But, if a judge modifies the underlying obligations and removes them from the sentence, a felon may qualify for restoration of rights without having to pay.

The criminal defense lawyers at Turner O’Connor Kozlowski, P.L. can help if you are seeking to have your rights restored.

May 1, 2019

Only a signature from Gov. Ron DeSantis is needed before it becomes a primary offense in Florida to text while driving. Right now, you can be ticketed for texting if you are caught violating another traffic law. If the governor signs a bill that now has passed the legislature, that will change.

In anticipation of the bill becoming law, the Tampa Bay Times has published a list of what you need to know about the texting and driving prohibition. You can read it here: https://www.tampabay.com/florida/2019/04/25/five-things-to-know-about-texting-while-driving-legislation-in-florida/

The Gainesville criminal defense lawyers at Turner O’Connor Kozlowski have more than 75 years combined experience helping residents of north central Florida charged with traffic violations, misdemeanors, and felonies. Contact us if you find yourself accused of a crime.

April, 30, 2019

Dr. David R. Nelson, who has served as interim senior vice president for health affairs at UF for almost a year, was given the permanent position Tuesday. Nelson, who is a professor of medicine, will lead a massive organization that stretches throughout the state and includes six health science colleges, nine interdisciplinary research centers, two hospital systems, and dozens of physician practices.

According to a release from the university, Nelson has spent more than 25 years working at UF’s academic health center and generated more than $80 million in grants. An expert in liver disease, Nelson has authored more than 200 publications and won multiple awards for research.

UF President Kent Fuchs said the appointment is effective immediately.

The lawyers at Turner O’Connor Kozlowski assist many UF doctors and other health care professionals with licensing issues, discipline at work or by the state, and with questions about contracts and compliance.