Florida denies full pardon for top advocate for Amendment 4

A state panel on Wednesday denied a request to grant a full pardon to Desmond Meade, the man who led the historic push to restore Florida’s felon voting rights under Amendment 4.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state Board of Executive Clemency, which is made up of the governor and members of the Cabinet, would take Meade’s request “under advisement.” The governor said he did not know how long that would take, when Meade asked for a timeline.

Meade told the board he was seeking a full pardon to restore all his civil rights — such as the rights to serve on a jury and possess a firearm — because he wanted to be made “whole” again.

The 53-year-old, however, had his right to vote restored after the November 2018 passage of Amendment 4, an initiative he championed that restored the voting rights to former felons who completed their sentence, except in cases of murder or felony sexual assault.

“Because of Amendment 4, I can still vote even though they have not granted me a pardon and even though they have not restored my civil rights,” Meade said in a video posted on Twitter.

Meade’s criminal past, however, still bars him from having all his rights restored. DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said they were concerned about his past criminal convictions, including domestic violence against his ex-wife and a court-martial for grand larceny that resulted in a dishonorable discharge from the Army.

DeSantis, a former Navy prosecutor, suggested Meade should clear up the military conviction before seeking a full pardon from the state because it is “every bit as criminal as a federal offense.” But Meade said his focus was on Florida, where he said he wants to continue the civil rights movement and do “God’s work.”

“I thought that by fighting for my state and committing my life to be here and make every Floridian’s life better, that that’s the first place that I go to,” Meade told the governor. “And once the state makes me whole, then I could worry about the federal government.”

Meade’s criminal history stemmed from a years-long cocaine addiction, which he has recovered from, he told the governor and Cabinet members.

It started in 1994, with a third-degree felony for cocaine possession. Two years later, he faced a felony domestic violence charge, court records show. Charges linked to marijuana possession, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon also stained his criminal record through 2001, records show.

Meade pleaded with the governor to grant the request to the person he is now and not “the one from 20 years ago who was caught up in a drug addiction.”

Patronis, however, said he was concerned about “domestic violence” in his background, saying that he would need to hear from his exwife personally on whether she had forgiven him over it.

“Domestic violence is deadly serious,” Patronis said. “I don’t know if you’re applying for a firearm permit, but I got a real problem giving you a gun … I just can’t, I can’t go there. I can’t get there yet.”

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office initially objected to Meade’s pardon but later withdrew the objection. The office, which prosecuted some of Meade’s cases, said its files were so old that they have long since been destroyed and no victims could be located.

In a letter to the commission sent Monday by State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the office praised Meade’s turnaround and work helping to pass Amendment 4. It cited his “exemplary life” over the past 20 years.

“Based on the foregoing, it is our considered opinion that Mr. Meade has turned his life around; impacted our community, state, and nation in a truly significant and unique way; and bettered the lives of countless people,” the letter said.