(1) A wrongfully incarcerated person who is eligible for compensation as defined in this act must initiate his or her application for compensation as required in this section no more than 2 years after the original sentencing court enters its order finding that the person meets the definition of wrongfully incarcerated person and is eligible for compensation as defined in this act.
(2) A wrongfully incarcerated person who is eligible for compensation under the act must apply to the Department of Legal Affairs. No estate of, or personal representative for, a decedent is entitled to apply on behalf of the decedent for compensation for wrongful incarceration.
(3) The application must include:
(a) A certified copy of the order vacating the conviction and sentence;
(b) A certified copy of the original sentencing court’s order finding the claimant to be a wrongfully incarcerated person who is eligible for compensation under this act;
(c) Certified copies of the original judgment and sentence;
(d) Documentation demonstrating the length of the sentence served, including documentation from the Department of Corrections regarding the person’s admission into and release from the custody of the Department of Corrections;
(e) Positive proof of identification, including two full sets of fingerprints administered by a law enforcement agency and a current form of photo identification, demonstrating that the person seeking compensation is the same individual who was wrongfully incarcerated;
(f) All supporting documentation of any fine, penalty, or court costs imposed and paid by the wrongfully incarcerated person as described in s. 961.06(1)(c); and
(g) All supporting documentation of any reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses as described in s. 961.06(1)(d).
(4) The department shall forward one full set of fingerprints of the applicant to the Department of Law Enforcement for statewide criminal records checks. The Department of Law Enforcement shall forward the second set of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national criminal records checks. The results of the state and national records checks shall be submitted to the department.
(5) Upon receipt of an application, the department shall examine the application and notify the claimant within 30 calendar days of any errors or omissions, and request any additional information relevant to the review of the application. The claimant shall have 15 days after proper notification of any existing errors or omissions to supplement the application. The department may not deny an application for failure of the claimant to correct an error or omission or supply additional information unless the department timely notified the claimant of such errors or omissions or requested the additional information within the 30-day period specified in this subsection. The department shall process and review each completed application within 90 calendar days. Once the department determines whether a claim for compensation meets the requirements of this act, the department shall notify the claimant within 5 business days of that determination.
(6) If the department determines that a claimant meets the requirements of this act, the wrongfully incarcerated person who is the subject of the claim becomes entitled to compensation, subject to the provisions in s. 961.06.
History.—s. 5, ch. 2008-39; s. 4, ch. 2014-21; s. 6, ch. 2017-120.