Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in partnership with FRRC

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in partnership with FRRC brought the “Free the Vote” bus tour

In partnership with Miami-Dade County, OIC of South Florida, Career Source South Florida (FRRC), and the Florida Justice Center, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) put together the “Free the Vote” bus tour in Miami. This event was held to empower all returning citizens in Florida by removing the systematic barriers to reentering society. 

FRRC is committed to empowering returning citizens in the state of Florida by removing the systemic barriers to reentering society, including gaining access to jobs, housing, and voting so they can have a fair second chance at life. 

The bus tour took place in the following locations:

• Dr. Dorothy Bendross Mindingall Social - Economic Institute, 5120 NW 24th Ave. Miami, 33142
• Wilbur B. Bell Park, 10301 SW 170th Terrace, Miami, 33157
• Gwen Cherry 14, 2099 NW 23rd St., Miami 33142

The weekend-long event hosted family-friendly access to the resources and support they may need to reintegrate into the community. The services offered at the event  included help with fines and fees, voter registration, information on Florida’s clemency process changes, second-chance employment opportunities, driver's license reinstatement assistance, COVID-19 vaccines, and more.

Miami-Dade Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, along with partners participated in the kick-off for the wonderful event on Friday, June 11th. She said, “Tearing down barriers to employment, voting, and community reintegration for returning citizens is a win-win-win for the people and businesses of our county. We all benefit when people can get a job and have their voices heard in our community."

Throughout 2020, the FRRC spent over $7 million in fines and fees to support Miami’s returning citizens by removing barriers for them to vote, one of the goals of the FRRC. The organization goes beyond that as well, they are actively helping this population acquire jobs from businesses that understand the value of hiring formerly incarcerated residents.

Right now, employers are struggling to fill open positions, and are mistakenly overlooking the talent of returning Citizens. A recent study showed that 82% of managers report that the value second chance employees bring to the organization is as high or higher than that of workers without records. 

The FRRC is a remarkable organization that has helped an immense amount of people. It is run by Returning Citizens (Formerly Convicted Persons) that hope to end the discrimination against people that have previously been convicted. They want to create a more comprehensive and humane reentry system that will be more successful for all parties. For more information on the organization, visit https://floridarrc.com/.