Clemency is the process by which the Governor of Florida may, with the approval of two members of the Cabinet, grant full or conditional pardons, restore civil rights, commute punishment, and remit fines and forfeiture for offenses.

A pardon is a type of clemency that releases a person from punishment and forgives guilt for any Florida convictions. A pardon will restore some or all rights a person had before they were convicted.

To learn more about clemency and pardons please visit the Florida Commission on Offender Review website.

Currently, there only eight (8) types of clemency in Florida:

1. Full Pardon – Unconditionally releases a person from punishment and forgives guilt for any Florida convictions. It restores to an applicant all the rights of citizenship possessed by the person before his or her conviction, including the right to own, possess, or use firearms.
2. Pardon Without Firearm Authority – Releases a person from punishment and forgives guilt. It entitles an applicant to all the rights of citizenship enjoyed by the person before his or her conviction, except the specific authority to own, possess, or use firearms.
3. Pardon for Misdemeanor – Releases a person from punishment and forgives guilt.
4. Commutation of Sentence – A Commutation of Sentence does not restore any civil rights, instead it may adjust an applicant's penalty to one less severe or reduce the amount of time they must serve while incarcerated.
5. Remission of Fines and Forfeitures – Suspends, reduces, or removes fines or forfeitures, this does not relieve a party of court financial obligations or restitution.
6. Specific Authority to Own, Possess, or Use Firearms – Restores to an applicant the right to own, possess, or use firearms, which were lost as a result of a felony conviction.
7. Restoration of Civil Rights – Restores to an applicant all the rights of citizenship in the State of Florida enjoyed before the felony conviction, except the specific authority to own, possess, or use firearms. Such restoration shall not relieve an applicant from the registration and notification requirements, or any other obligations and restrictions imposed by law upon sexual predators or sexual offenders.
8. Restoration of Voting Rights - Restores to an applicant the right to register and vote.

To learn more about clemency and pardons please visit the Florida Commission on Offender Review website.

Florida Justice Center only assists with three (3) types of clemency:

1. Restoration of Civil Rights
2. Restoration of Voting Rights
3. Specific Authority to Own, Possess, or Use Firearms

To apply for Firearm Authority clemency, a person must first have:

• Been convicted of a felony offense
• Be a Florida Resident
• Complete all terms of their felony sentence (including term of incarceration, supervision, and all legal financial obligations)
• Paid all fines, fees, costs, and restitution for all criminal justice matters including felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic, and criminal county and municipal ordinance violations.
• Eight (8) years must have elapsed since the date of completion of the last felony conviction

To apply for the Restoration of Civil Rights or Restoration of Voting Rights, a person must first have:

• Been convicted of a felony offense
• Be a Florida resident
• Complete all terms of their felony sentence (including term of incarceration, supervision, and all legal financial obligations)
• Must not have any outstanding warrants or criminal charges
• Must not have been convicted of a felony sex offense or homicide resulting in the death of a person

To learn more about restoration of voting rights please visit https://www.fljc.org/services/voting-rights/.

Florida Justice Center will gladly assist you with applying for the specific authority to own, use, or possess a firearm.

We cannot guarantee that your application will be granted by the Office of Executive Clemency.

Florida Justice Center looks to help as many people as we can. Each client is evaluated based upon their circumstances and needs to determine whether they qualify and may receive assistance.

For a list of common costs and more details about sliding scale fees for those making 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and above, please visit our Sliding Scale Fees page.

Florida Justice Center will not pay any outstanding obligations such as fines, fees, court costs, or restitution.

1. Voting rights restoration evaluation takes approximately 3-4 months due to the thoroughness of the process. Once the evaluation is complete, if you qualify under current Florida law to register and vote, you may do so immediately.
2. Restoration of Civil Rights - we will submit the application after conducting a thorough evaluation that takes approximately 3-4 months. Once the application is submitted the Office of Executive Clemency may take anywhere from 1 to 7 years to review the application.
3. Specific Authority to Own, Possess, or Use Firearms - we will submit the application after conducting a thorough evaluation that takes approximately 3-4 months. Once the application is submitted the Office of Executive Clemency may take anywhere from 3 to 12 years to review the application.