Convicted felon and former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown said if she is elected to serve again in Congress, she plans to work to address issues within the criminal justice system.

Over the objections of Democrats who contend Republicans are being “bullied” by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Senate on Wednesday approved a congressional redistricting plan that would favor the GOP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed congressional redistricting plan, lambasted by opponents because it likely would reduce the number of seats held by Black Democrats, quickly moved toward approval Tuesday as the Republican-dominated Legislature started a special session.

Bracy said Tyre Sampson’s death was premature, an “unconscionable and avoidable tragedy.”

On this day 156 years ago, the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud in Florida’s capital city, officially ending slavery in the state.

A measure that would force law enforcement agencies across Florida to examine the use of force is heading to the governor’s desk.

The Florida Senate passed a bill Wednesday commemorating two days significant in the abolition of slavery.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State Sen. Randolph Bracy released a campaign-style video Tuesday strongly hinting that he’ll consider seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican Gov. In the video, Bracy discusses problems facing the state because of the coronavirus pandemic, says the state needs to change course and needs a governor who will work with both parties to help Florida through the crisis. We need to leave behind the small fights at the Capitol and figure out how to work together to move Florida in the right direction. But in a phone interview, Bracy said the video posted on his website isn't an announcement that he's getting in the race. Bracy, 43, of Orlando, was elected to the House in 2012, where he served before being elected to the Senate in 2016.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A state senator is seeking to expand a scholarship program set up more than 25 years ago because of a massacre in Rosewood to include people whose families were directly affected by the racially motivated 1920 Ocoee Election Day riot in Central Florida. Black residents were killed in the riot, and others fled the community as homes, churches and a fraternal lodge were destroyed. “I’m not under the illusion that people will think this is not enough,” Bracy said. Last year, Bracy led a successful effort to require public-school students learn about the Ocoee riot, similar to a requirement for teaching about the Holocaust. AdWhen he initially proposed the 2020 legislation, Bracy sought $150,000 per Ocoee victim, a funding level modeled, in part, on a 1994 decision by the Legislature to compensate African-American families because of the Rosewood Massacre.

FILE - In this May 31, 2020 file photo, visitors make silent visits to organic memorial featuring a mural of George Floyd, near the spot where he died while in police custody, in Minneapolis, Minn. The message from protesters around the United States is that George Floyd is the latest addition to a grim roster of African Americans to be killed by police. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – About eight months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis touched off nationwide protests, a Florida state senator has filed a bill that targets strangulation by police officers. The bill (SB 730), filed Friday by Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, could lead to officers facing third-degree felony charges if they strangle people under certain circumstances. Floyd, a Black man, died in May after a police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest, preventing him from breathing.

Pointing to “lasting harm” from booking photos posted online, a Senate Democrat has filed a proposal that would prevent the release of the photos taken when people are arrested. Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, filed the proposed public-records exemption (SB 444) on Wednesday. It will be considered during the legislative session that starts March 2. The bill would allow the release of booking photos in certain circumstances, such as if a person poses an immediate threat to the public. “In the absence of the special circumstances specified in this act, the potential for lasting harm from use or publication of an arrest booking photograph online far outweighs any immediate public benefit of viewing the arrest booking photograph of a person who poses no immediate danger to the public.”

After Perry was lynched, the mob laid siege to the black section of Ocoee, Fla., killing dozens. That dark episode, until recently largely forgotten, came to be known as the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots. Others remember it as a massacre, one of the many acts of racial violence perpetrated against black citizens over the decades. The Ocoee massacre was just one of many that engulfed communities across the country during the Jim Crow era. Bracy and state Rep. Kamia Brown, both Democrats, wanted similar compensation for descendants of the Ocoee riots but failed to muster support from the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Sen. Randolph Bracy wants to expand the playing field on proposals that would allow college athletes in Florida to get paid for endorsements. Bracy wants to use revenue sharing to establish a trust fund that would pay college athletes when they are done playing. The Bracy-McGhee effort also proposes a task force to review state and federal laws and regulations by the NCAA and other organizations about compensation for college athletes. "So many of these college athletes generate astronomical revenue for the NCAA and their respective institutions," Bracy said. NCAA President Mark Emmert said that action would ensure college athletes continue to "compete against students and not professionals."

Tyler Barrick/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After scoring a victory Tuesday when the NCAA governing board moved toward letting college athletes make endorsement money, Florida lawmakers are looking to add "safeguards" to legislative proposals filed for the 2020 session. Before the NCAA's announcement, four Florida lawmakers had filed bills aimed at allowing college athletes to cash in on their names, images and likenesses. "I am cautiously optimistic about this news from the NCAA," LaMarca said in a prepared statement. As no formal changes were enacted by the NCAA, the legislative efforts are continuing to move forward. The bills are mostly similar in seeking to allow college athletes to be compensated through endorsement deals.

"While this is a great first step, we must ensure Florida's student athletes are provided fair treatment and long-term protections found in my bill." "Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. NCAA President Mark Emmert said that action would ensure college athletes continue to "compete against students and not professionals." The bills are mostly similar in seeking to allow college athletes to be compensated through endorsement deals that use their names, images and likenesses. Gavin Newsom last month signed into law a measure that, starting in 2023, would allow California college athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals.