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A Times Editorial
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 13, 2001
While Gov. Jeb Bush made a reasonable decision in postponing for two years any consideration of Lionel Tate's request for clemency, he should not delay the even more important task of addressing Florida's treatment of juvenile offenders tried as adults. Bush decided Friday to reject a clemency request for Tate, the 14-year-old sentenced to life without possibility of parole for killing his 6-year-old neighbor when he was 12. In announcing his decision, Bush cited the longstanding practice of prisoners' serving at least two years before requesting clemency.
Florida leads the nation in prosecuting children as adult felons. If that ranking gnaws at his conscience, Bush should not let the passage of time dull his will to change it. Why wait until Tate's case again captures public attention before re-examining the application of mandatory adult penalties that helped put Tate in prison for life?
Bush has the power to reinstate Tate's chances for parole, contingent on good behavior. But by tackling the systemic problem now, the governor can ensure that no other child will ever have to make such a clemency plea again. The governor said it best after Tate's sentencing: "There should be a sensitivity to the fact that a 14-year-old is not a little adult."
Bush will have an opportunity to translate those words into action when the Legislature reconvenes. Sen. Skip Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale, plans to introduce legislation placing children such as Tate in juvenile facilities and then re-evaluating them before they are moved into the adult system. An endorsement from the governor would help that change become law.