Dozier School for Boys victim identification bill advances

More remedy could be on the way for victims of the atrocities that occurred at Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal Justice forwarded a bill (SB 1780) on Wednesday that would require the state to give Dozier attendees between 1940 and 1975 the opportunity to be registered as a victim of abuse.

The bill’s sponsor, St. Petersburg Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson, said the identification process would be the first step toward more compensation for the victims of the Northeast Florida reform school.

“This bill allows us to identify those who are yet living,” Rouson said. He said a future Legislature would determine appropriate courses of action for the identified victims. Remedies might include a claims bill or scholarships for the victims’ children, Rouson said.  

If passed, former attendees wishing to be registered would have to submit an affidavit documenting their abuse at the school no later than October 1, 2018. The Department of Juvenile Justice would have until March 2019 to submit an official list of approved applicants to the House Speaker and Senate President.

SB 1780, which has advanced through two committees unanimously, now heads to Senate Appropriations. A similar House version has yet to be heard in committee.

Gov. Rick Scott signed into law last year a bill that set aside $1.2 million to build two memorials for the nearly 100 boys who died between 1900 and 1973 at the now-closed Marianna reform school. Both chambers also supported resolutions to apologize to the living victims who attended the school before it was shuttered.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement closed Dozier School for Boys in 2011 after confirming reports of abuse.

In the 2016 Legislative Session, lawmakers passed a bill to cover reburial costs for families that lost loved ones at the school.