TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Four times a year, Gov. Rick Scott and the elected cabinet hear from dozens of people convicted of crimes who want their rights restored.
Wednesday was one such day, and the cases ranged from people serving life in prison to those who slapped their girlfriends.
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In 2003, then-21-year-old Ryan Holle loaned his car to a friend whom he knew was planning to rob a pot dealer. An 18-year-old in the house ended up dead.
Offered a 10-year plea deal, Ryan refused. He was sentenced to life without parole under the state's felony murder rule.
Nearly 12 years later, his family came to plead for mercy.
"He regrets it every day," Peggy Reunnels, Holle's aunt, said.
The family of then-18-year-old Jennifer Snyder also came, seeking to keep Holle right where he is.
"I still feel the pain and loneliness without her," Marcy Snyder, the victim's sister, said.
That case was the most dramatic of more than 80 on the schedule. A decision was delayed. The rest who came were mostly people who simply made a mistake.
"My life is totally different," said Russel Sweet, who had his civil rights restored.
David Rios said slapping his girlfriend was all a big mistake.
"No, no, no, I did not attack her. She beat me with a two-by-four," said Rios, who was denied his civil rights.
Pharmacist Burton Sloss traded pills for pot. He went to clear his reputation.
"So that my children, specifically my son, would not have a history behind him of mistakes that I have made," Sloss said.
Fourteen speeding tickets did one man in.
D.L. Barney, 81, stole a water pump in the 1950s.
"Oh, I feel 20 years younger," said Barney, who was granted a full pardon. "You don't know how much weight that took off my shoulders."
Applicants must wait at least five years after a crime before they ask for mercy.
Florida is considered one of the most restrictive states when it comes to restoring the right to vote or own a gun. Full pardons are even more rare.