{"id":50842,"date":"2025-11-18T04:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T04:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/50842\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T04:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T04:29:12","slug":"florida-father-sent-back-to-prison-under-law-that-no-longer-exists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/50842\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida father sent back to prison under law that no longer exists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man <\/p>\n

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Robert Woodall fired what he calls warning shots into the ground during a fight more than 20 years ago. The bullet ricocheted and injured another man\u2019s ankle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under Florida\u2019s<\/a> old “10-20-Life” law, that automatically meant a 20-year prison sentence<\/a> for firing a gun during an assault \u2014 regardless of the circumstances.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

READ: Florida couple’s costly fight for justice after hit-and-run trial delays<\/a><\/p>\n

After serving 11 years, a judge ruled there had been a procedural error with respect to the jury findings and released him. Woodall returned home, started a landscaping business, volunteered in his community and reconnected with his family.<\/p>\n

But, prosecutors appealed, arguing there was no procedural error. The court agreed \u2014 and because the new version of the law wasn\u2019t retroactive, Woodall was sent back to finish his original sentence.<\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

Florida\u2019s “10-20-Life” law, enacted in 1999, required mandatory prison terms for crimes involving firearms: 10 years for displaying a gun, 20 years for firing it, and 25 years to life if someone was hurt.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

MORE: Florida homeowners challenge Citizens Insurance<\/a><\/p>\n

Over time, critics argued the law was too rigid \u2014 forcing judges to issue severe sentences even in cases with mitigating factors. Courts later struck down parts of the statute, and lawmakers changed it to give judges more discretion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, those reforms only applied to cases going forward, not to people already sentenced under the old rules. That distinction is why Robert Woodall remains in prison today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a FOX 13 interview, Woodall expressed opposition to the mandatory minimum sentencing law that delivered a 20-year sentence but also stressed that his time in prison strengthened his faith and made him a better man.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

“I believe that Jesus is the answer. He\u2019s been my rock,” he said. “In that respect, absolutely, I\u2019m a better person today than I was before I got re-incarcerated\u2026 Some might argue, \u2018Hey, the twenty years worked.\u2019 I don\u2019t believe I needed it \u2014 the change started happening immediately.”<\/p>\n

READ: Tampa family reaches insurance settlement after FOX 13 investigation<\/a><\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

Woodall is serving the final year of his reinstated 20-year sentence at a correctional facility in Kissimmee. He\u2019s taking classes to become a truck driver and working in palliative care for terminally ill inmates.<\/p>\n

He is set to be released on October 1, 2026, and said he hopes to use his experience to mentor others and advocate for “smart on crime” reforms that balance accountability with compassion.<\/p>\n

The Source: The information in this story includes reporting and interviews by FOX 13’s Chief Investigator Craig Patrick. Details came from on-the-record interviews with Robert Woodall and his family, reviews of court filings, sentencing documents and Florida legislative records related to the 10-20-Life law and subsequent reforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida<\/a>Crime and Public Safety<\/a>Politics<\/a>FOX 13 Investigates<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Robert Woodall fired what he calls warning shots into the ground during a fight more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[630,47,28,30,29,22841,115,99,405,628],"class_list":["post-50842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-crime-publicsafety","tag-fl","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-fox13-investigates","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-series","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}