The lost boys of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys can finally go home.
On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill that acknowledges the abuse and deaths of boys at the North Florida reform school in Marianna, Florida.
Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, introduced Senate Bill 708 in November. On March 15, it was presented to Scott, who signed it 15 days later. The bill sets aside a total of $500,000 for families to properly bury the identified bodies of children. Each family will receive up to $7,500 for burial and funeral arrangements.
Bryant Middleton, 70, a Gainesville resident and former Dozier student, said the bill proves the horrors of the abuse he and former students suffered.
“This is the very first step in obtaining full justice across the board for every child that was beaten and brutalized,” Middleton said.
The Florida Legislature can decide to repeal the legislation, UF professor Darren Hutchinson wrote in an email, but he doesn’t believe they will.
Hutchinson said the bill doesn’t mean Florida admits any wrongdoing, nor does it require students’ families to receive compensation for alleged grievances.
“Unexplained and suspicious deaths, incidents of sexual assault, and mass incarceration are ongoing problems that Floridians need to address and solve,” Hutchinson said.
@MelissaGomez004
mgomez@alligator.org
