House Democratic Leader-designate Perry Thurston on Friday called on Governor Rick Scott to move swiftly in appointing key stakeholders to the special task force that he’s announced to examine Florida’s Stand Your Ground law and other matters of public safety.
The Broward County Democrat is asking that the governor name appointees to the Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection, such as members of the law enforcement community, prosecutors, public defenders and even sitting or retired members of the judiciary, so that those who utilize the Stand Your Ground law have the clarity that is needed to avoid tragedies.
“I believe the Task Force should have begun by now,” Thurston wrote in today’s letter in which he notes that numerous reports have been collected since the law’s passage in 2005 of the law being used to shield individuals from prosecution after violent confrontations.
“The shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford on February 26 and the potential defense offered by his accused shooter only underscore well-established ambiguities inherent in Stand Your Ground,” he writes.
Thurston explained in his letter to Scott that while he supports the right to self-defense, he believes there are many problems with Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, and he identifies several specific areas of concern.
Urgent appointment of key stakeholders to the Task Force is appropriate and necessary, Thurston stated, so that the panel can begin what the governor has announced it should do: to formally review the law, hold public hearings, take testimony and solicit ideas to ensure that all Floridians feel safe and secure.
