In the coming days, Florida lawmakers will decide how much extra money state prosecutors and public defenders will receive in pay.
Both offices are hoping for at least $10,000 more a year, an increase they say is needed to retain and recruit more attorneys.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, the state attorneys of Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties highlighted how dire the situation is.
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All three offices have seen well over 100 prosecutors leave to the private sector in the past year.
“We can no longer compete with other offices like New York City, Boston, Chicago, as we once did," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. "Or even with other areas of Florida where the cost of living is lower.”
One of the prosecutors who left for the private sector was Citra Joseph. The chief of litigation said the stress of cases, low pay, inflation, and a growing family made it impossible for her to stay.
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“It became a choice of my immediate family or my extended family of the community," Joseph said. "I still feel that the community is my family. I hope the legislature sees this and pushes to give more funding because I don’t want anyone else to make the decision too.”
The picture is just as grim at the Miami Dade Public Defender’s office, where 14 lawyers have left since January — that kind of turnover means the accused, victims, and their families are often forced to meet with new attorneys and their cases are delayed.
“All we are asking for is a raise of $4.81. That’s it. $4.81 per hour, per lawyer. That comes out to $10,000 a year," said Carlos J. Martinez, Miami-Dade Public Defender.
Tangela Sears knows the process well. She lost her son to gun violence and serves as an advocate for families.
“As victims, it affects us," she said. "It affects us when every three months we have to meet a new attorney. And begin the process all over again.”
“It reduces the public trust in what our system is doing. Justice delayed is justice denied," Martinez said.
The average public defender in the U.S. begins their career making $69,156.
In Florida, the salary is just over $50,000, a figure that hasn’t kept up with rent increases and the price of homes.
The state House agreed to a 5% pay hike, and now it's up to the Senate. The clock is ticking with the legislative session wrapping up next week
