First, I’d like to thank all those that have been supportive of our push for cold case legislation in the state of Florida. Last week I traveled to Tallahassee to attend the Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting, which had added our SB 1482 – Cold Case Task Force bill to their agenda. Senator Aaron Bean, our senate sponsor, introduced the bill and some facts appropriate to explain why the bill is necessary. At that point I was able to stand up and speak for a few minutes about the bill, it’s importance and why I am pushing for cold case legislation.  The committee members were all extremely attentive and respectful and I realized quickly that they were not going to need a lecture or even much convincing. They were going to support the bill and pass it on to the next committee with little discussion. And with the exception of one, less than thought out, objection (from an individual that has made a name for himself by attending all committee meetings and opposing most bills) the committee unanimously passed the bill through Criminal Justice and onto Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice.

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Two years ago I traveled to Colorado to meet with members of the advocacy group Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons (FOHVAMP). The goal of the meeting was to learn about the cold case legislation that they had passed a few years earlier and to develop a road map to do the same thing in Florida. The legislation passed in Colorado created a statewide database of all unsolved homicides and missing persons. They also started a cold case task force to review best practices regarding cold cases throughout the state.

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