{"id":190397,"date":"2026-03-13T17:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T17:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/190397\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T17:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T17:04:10","slug":"desmond-meade-to-step-down-as-head-of-florida-rights-restoration-coalition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/190397\/","title":{"rendered":"Desmond Meade to step down as head of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Desmond Meade, who in 2018 led the campaign that restored the voting rights to Floridians with felony convictions, is stepping down as executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), effective Friday.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0a statement,<\/a>\u00a0Meade said Thursday that when he incorporated the FRRC in 2011, his goal was \u201cto ensure that directly impacted people had a voice in the decisions sharing their lives, and to challenge the barriers and false narratives that excluded returning citizens from full participation in democracy, education, employment and the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we built something powerful,\u201d he continued. \u201cFrom advancing \u2018ban the box\u2019 policies and expanding access to housing and education, to responding to crisis during COVID-19 and hurricane seasons, FRRC has confidently shown up for communities across Florida. We helped launch Community Violence Intervention programs that dramatically reduced gun violence, and we led the historic campaign that resulted in the passage of Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to returning citizens and igniting a statewide movement for second chances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly 65% of Floridians approved Amendment 4 in November 2018. The constitutional amendment called for automatically restoring the voting rights of all felons who have completed their prison sentences, with the exception of those who committed murder or a sexual felony.<\/p>\n

However, it was\u00a0amended<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 Florida by the Republican-led Legislature to define the completion of a sentence to include paying off all fines, fees or restitution owed to a victim. The FRRC\u00a0filed litigation<\/a>\u00a0in federal court in July 2023, alleging the state\u2019s implementation of the amendment was preventing eligible voters from voting and intimidating voters. The FRRC dropped the lawsuit in 2024,<\/p>\n

Meade\u2019s involvement leading the Amendment 4 campaign got him named as one of\u00a0Time magazine\u2019s 100 Most Influential People of 2019.<\/a><\/p>\n

In his statement, Meade says he is looking forward to spending more time with his family and \u00a0\u201cembracing the next chapter ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida Phoenix<\/a>\u00a0is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions:\u00a0info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>. Follow Florida Phoenix on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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