Florida Justice Institute

On June 19th, 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free. However, this was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The delay was not an accident. Freedom was withheld as long as those in power could manage it.

Unfortunately, that legacy lives on. Black people are incarcerated in Florida at much higher rates than white people, a disparity rooted in the same systems Juneteenth reminds us to reckon with.

FJI was founded to challenge those systems and today is a reminder that we need to continue fighting for freedom.

Learn about our work at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: Imagery of broken chains surround text that reads, “Celebrating Juneteenth. Today is a reminder that justice delayed is justice denied.”

Join us tonight at the UM Hope Law Summer Webinar Series on the criminalization of homelessness.

Learn what’s happening systemically to punish people living in poverty and the ways we can fight against it.

Register for the free webinar at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: The webinar graphic shows speakers Ray Taseff and Jacqueline Azis alongside the logos for the SPLC, HOPE, and FJI.

Pride Month includes a reminder that access to healthcare should be for everyone.

Florida has cut funding for gender affirming care, and the ACLU is now fighting that decision in court.

FJI stands with that fight. We believe medical care is a right, not a privilege based on identity or circumstance.

Just like our work on mental health for people in Florida’s justice system, this is about the same basic principle: physical health and mental health are connected, and everyone deserves access to the care that keeps them well.

Read more on the ACLU’s fight at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: An illustration shows the transgender pride flag upheld above text that reads, "Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. That includes gender affirming care. Highlighting the ACLU's fight for gender affirming care this Pride Month."

When you donate to our organization or share our posts, you’re directly helping us increase access to justice in Florida.

Whether it's fighting for people in prison, people without a home, or people with disabilities, your donations and participation power our work.

Your impact goes beyond our borders as well. Other organizations use our cases as examples and inspiration, resulting in policy changes in other counties and states.

Here’s exactly how to help. Donate at the link in bio or by visiting FJI.law

You can also help by following us, sharing our posts, and showing up to our events.

Every share helps us reach more attorneys, advocates, and people who care about justice in Florida.

FJI Senior Attorney Ray Taseff is presenting at the UM Hope Law Summer Webinar Series on the criminalization of homelessness.

If you work in law, advocacy, social services, or just want to understand how Florida’s laws are pushing people further from stability, this is worth your time.

Register for the free webinar at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: An event graphic reads, “Join Us Online Next Week. Combatting the criminalization of homelessness. Thursday June 18, 6PM”

Tiffani Lee, FJI Board Member and Treasurer, has been named one of the South Florida Business Journal’s 2026 Ultimate CEO honorees.

As Partner and Deputy Managing Director at Holland & Knight, Tiffani is being recognized for her leadership across her firm, the business community, and the South Florida region.

We are proud to have her dedication and expertise represented on our board.

Congratulations, Tiffani!

Media description: Tiffani's photo is above text describing the award nomination.

Florida is paying Centurion billions of dollars to provide health care in state prisons.

People are going blind instead.

Read the full Florida Bulldog coverage at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: FJI's Erica Downs is shown beside her quote that reads, "Not only are they now at risk for permanent vision loss, but they are far more likely to suffer from falls and fractures and be abused in prison."

We're excited to welcome Benjamin Sanchez Pla to the Florida Justice Institute team.

Benjamin recently graduated from Yale University, where he majored in Political Science and earned an Intensive Certificate in Human Rights.

Benjamin interned with the United Nations Development Programme in New York City, working on human rights and rule of law programming, and with a bipartisan lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.

This fall, Benjamin will begin a Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po in Paris, where he plans to specialize in migration studies.

Welcome, Benjamin!

Media description: A photo of Benjamin appears below text welcoming him as a new intern.

New federal data shows that for the first time since 2016, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States went down.

That progress came from housing-focused programs and funding that actually worked. But it is fragile.

Hurricane season starts now, and Florida's unhoused residents are among the most vulnerable when storms hit. Add proposed federal cuts to housing programs on top of that, and the gains from this data could disappear fast.

Florida punishes people for not having a home. FJI is fighting to make sure people have one.

Support our advocacy directly at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: An info graphic shows a 11% decrease among families and an 8% decrease among unaccompanied youth in homelessness in the US from 2024 to 2025.

FJI attorney Dante Trevisani joined advocates from across the South at Stetson University College of Law for the Southern Regional Convening on the Criminalization of Homelessness.

Hosted by the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Stetson Law, the convening brought together legal advocates to share strategies for pushing back on laws that punish people simply for not having a place to live.

Dante said about the event, “It was a great opportunity to connect with advocates around the South to discuss strategies for combatting the criminalization of homelessness and poverty.”

Criminalization does not solve the housing crisis. It makes it harder for people to get stable and stay stable.

FJI is proud to do this work alongside partners fighting the same fight across the region.

Follow to see how we keep pushing for housing access.

Media description: Dante's quote about the convention is on screen in front of a photo of him at the event.