Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC)

Background

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is a statewide membership-based organization led by people with past felony convictions that works to remove barriers to re-entry for the previously incarcerated. It supports left-of-center policies for voting rights restoration, reduced restrictions on re-entering former convicts, and broader criminal justice leniency in Florida. ^{1  3}

FRRC was established in 2012 with Desmond Meade as president. Its initial act was to attend a Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. to advocate for the Democracy Restoration Act (DRA) which did not pass. The DRA would restore the right to vote in federal elections to individuals released from prison but still disenfranchised due to their prior convictions. It expanded its focus to encompass broader support for the previously incarcerated . ^{3  4}

FRRC continued to campaign for voting rights restoration after the DRA did not pass. By 2017 FRRC collected a million signatures to get Florida Amendment 4 of 2018, which restored voting rights to most people with felony convictions after the completion of their sentences, on the ballot. In November 2018, Florida’s Amendment 4 passed, effective in January 2019. In June 2019, Senate Bill 7066 was passed, which required the completion of sentence, including the full payment of all legal fines, fees, court costs, and restitution before voting rights were restored. In 2020, the FRRC established its Fines and Fees Program and raised $30 million to pay outstanding fees for the formerly incarcerated and help them register to vote. The Brennan Center for Justice, the ACLU, the ACLU of Florida, and the NAACP filed suit challenging this bill, but as of May 2026 it remained in force. ^{2  5}

Programs

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition’s Fines and Fees Assistance Program works with the formerly incarcerated to get their fines and fees waived or modified to community service. It recruits pro bono attorneys to support these efforts. ⁶

The FRRC established a Bail Fund and a Legal Defense Fund to support those previously convicted who are arrested for voting to pay for their bail and legal defense. ⁷

Its Advisory Opinion Program helps the formerly incarcerated obtain an advisory opinion from the state about their voting eligibility and how much they may owe in fines and fees. ⁸

The FRRC Hub is an online resource for its members. It publishes a Voter Guide which includes a checklist to help members determine if they are eligible to vote. It provides a link for members to apply for legal fines and fees assistance, and a link to obtain an advisory opinion on their voting eligibility. ⁹

The FRRC continues to host community events, legal clinics, advocacy training sessions, policy and legislative training, and voter-engagement efforts across Florida. ^{10  11}

Advocacy

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition advocates for left-of-center policies that end the “disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions.” Focus areas include employment, housing, and education. ¹²

The FRRC advocates for re-entry programs and record clearing, including clearing records of those who have unpaid court debts. ^{13  14} It advocates for providing alternatives to incarceration that limit involvement and accompanying expenses in the criminal justice system, especially for youth. It supports the reduction of sentences and early release programs. ¹⁵ It advocates for the end of cash bail, contends that holding people in jail prior to trial be limited to “a last resort,” and argues for removing the costs of pretrial conditions including electronic monitors, public defense, and pretrial supervision. ¹⁶

In 2023, the FRRC and four individuals with former felony convictions filed a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and local elections officials claiming that the process to determine voting eligibility for former felons is confusing. They claimed that Florida’s system arrested people with former felony convictions for “accidentally voting when they were not eligible.” In 2024, FRRC voluntarily dismissed the case. ^{17  18}

Funding

The FRRC was fiscally sponsored by Beyond Impact until it received independent tax-exempt status in December 2021. It has filed its own tax returns as an independent charitable organization since then. ^{19  20} Beyond Impact is a left-leaning social welfare organization focused on the creation, financing, and consultation of various left-of-center groups. It describes itself as an organization to “build power and advance progressive policies that center equity and justice.” ²¹ Other organizations that Beyond Impact fiscally sponsored at the time or had previously include Dream Defenders, Flip the Vote, the Movement for Black Lives Action Fund, and Voices for Progress. ²²

In 2024, the FRRC reported $2,663,631 in total revenue, approximately 40 percent of which was from government grants. ²³ Since 2023 the City of Orlando has granted FRRC over $2.8 million. ²⁴

Leadership

Desmond Meade was the founding executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. He experienced drug addiction and homelessness in his early years and was convicted of shoplifting, drug possession, and illegal possession of a firearm. After his release from prison he earned a law degree from Florida International University. ²⁵ For his work leading FRRC’s Amendment 4 campaign he was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019. He was a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellow and a Ford Foundation fellow. He is married to Sheena Meade, who leads the Clean Slate Initiative. He retired in March 2026. ^{26  27  28}

As of March 2026, Raven Lightsey was the executive director of the FRRC where she had previously worked as chief of staff. ^{29  30}