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Senate chief backs $5M payout
March 16, 2007
By Brent Kallestad
TALLAHASSEE -- Senate President Ken
Pruitt said Thursday that he wants to fast-track a $5 million claims
bill to compensate the family of a 14-year-old Panama City boy who
died last year after being roughed up by guards in a
state-supervised boot-camp program.
Pruitt's call to waive Senate rules
to expedite a chamber vote on a settlement was contained in a letter
sent to Gov. Charlie Crist, who also urged a quick settlement after
meeting with Martin Lee Anderson's parents Wednesday at the Capitol.
"The video images of the senseless
and tragic death of this young man are still fresh in our hearts and
minds," Pruitt wrote. "While no amount of compensation can bring
back the [Andersons'] son, we can provide a small measure of relief
for their suffering."
Pruitt asked Sen. Tony Hill,
D-Jacksonville, to introduce a claim bill. A two-thirds vote of the
Senate is required before the chamber can take up the measure
because it was filed after the Aug. 1 deadline for claims bills.
"I think that puts us on a very
good path, and it's wonderful of him," Crist said Thursday in
response to Pruitt's letter.
However, House Speaker Marco Rubio,
R-West Miami, said it would be at least next week before that
chamber could take a detailed look at the claims measure. He added
that lawmakers sometimes take years to approve claims.
"There are a number of claims bills
that have been in the process for a number of years now, and those,
I think, are equally important," Rubio said.
Prosecutors on Wednesday released a
NASA-enhanced video of the Jan. 5, 2006, incident at the now-closed
sheriff's boot camp in Panama City, along with more than 20,000
pages of evidence, including an expert's report that says seven
guards engaged in "abusive and inhumane" behavior when they struck
the teen with fists and knees, repeatedly took him to the ground and
held ammonia capsules under his nose.
The guards and a nurse who watched
have been charged with manslaughter. All pleaded not guilty.
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