Former Gov. Charlie Crist’s care and compassion were on full display Thursday when he stopped by the Law Offices of Dan Newlin in Orlando.
“I am so sorry, she is beautiful,” said a soft-spoken Crist to Alma Fletcher, the mother of Danielle Sampson who suffered massive brain damage when she was caught in the cross fire of a hail of bullets, as she rode along in the backseat of the family’s minivan, two years ago.
“And so are you, that’s why she is so beautiful,” Crist quickly added, leaning over to kiss Danielle on the forehead. “We have to do better and we will do better.”
Crist, a former Republican governor, now running as a Democrat, said, one of his campaign messages is crime reduction and keeping people safe.
“I’m still tough on crime. I don’t want our people to be murdered — I don’t want to have drive-bys in our communities,” he said. “We have to have safe communities, our children have to be safe in school.”
Prominent attorney Dan Newlin, who recently expanded his law practice to Chicago, has been helping the Sampson family since Danielle was shot.
“Danielle’s story is a compelling one, particularly in relation to the struggles that she goes through on a daily basis,” he said.
Crist, like Newlin, would like to see gang violence legislation aimed at better protecting the population from violent criminals. Legislation that would mete out tougher penalties to gang members, called the Danielle Sampson Bill, is being prepared.
“It’s tragic when you see innocent people hurt like that. We have to do anything we can to stop it,” said Crist.
The former governor said the gubernatorial race comes down to making sure that Florida has a governor with a heart, one that cares and who sees everyone, especially people like Danielle, as needing help.
“[S]adly, Rick Scott is a guy who doesn’t seem to care about regular people,” he said. “He [Scott] seems to care about money and seems to care about big corporations and he doesn’t seem to care about the middle class, he doesn’t seem to care about minorities, he doesn’t seem to care about women and that’s just not right for Florida.”
Crist, who reminded that Scott had slashed public education by $1.3 billion upon taking office and cut aid to the disabled, drew several sharp contrasts between himself and the incumbent.
“I support public education and the governor does not. We want to protect the environment and the governor does not. We want to look out for the disabled, the governor does not. We want to protect women’s rights, the governor does not. We are for a minimum wage increase, the governor is not…. You go right down the list. I am the opposite of this guy. The opposite. I even have hair,” Crist said to loud chuckles.
The former governor also pointed out that Florida’s next governor will be in the unique position of having to appoint four or possibly five new members to the Florida Supreme Court.
Crist said he could only win the governor’s race if everyone turns out to vote.
“It really comes down to one person saying to another, ‘Are you registered to vote?’,” he said. “It’s important to vote for Charlie, it’s important for everybody, it’s important to our future. And please don’t forget to do so.”
Crist also met privately with Danielle and her family behind closed doors at the Law Offices of Dan Newlin. He was given details of Danielle’s near fatal shooting.
Then 15 years old, the teen was riding in the family’s mini-van when her father drove through Pine Hills to drop off a friend. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and Danielle was shot in the head by a stray bullet that shattered the van’s back window. Her shooter, a reputed gang member, Tyrone Mosby, 22, and a group of other men had just burglarized a home nearby and were shooting at the homeowner. Mosby was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month.
Since the shooting in July 2012, after spending several weeks in hospital and in a rehabilitation facility, the teen has remained in a coma, but has shown small signs of improvement. A bullet still remains lodged in Danielle’s skull, along with fragments in her brain.
Crist reassured Danielle’s family that he would push for legislation that cracks down on gang members, including tougher penalties, supporting the Danielle Sampson Bill, once he returned to the Governor’s Mansion.
Gun murders now represent 72 percent of all homicides in Florida and have increased dramatically by 39 percent since 2000. In 2013, 695 murders were committed with guns, according to data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
