Latest news with #TristinMurphyAct
CBS News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
The 2025 legislative session with Florida Sen. Jennifer Bradley
One-on-one with Jennifer Bradley Jim and State Senator Jennifer Bradley discuss the condo reform bill, and also the passage of the Tristin Murphy Act, as well as the inability for the legislature to pass a budget plan during the regular legislative session. Guest: State Sen. Jennifer Bradley/R-6th District About condo reform A key senator on Tuesday signaled a willingness to make further changes to safety laws that require inspections of older condominium buildings and adequate reserves for repairs, saying more urgent structural needs should be prioritized. Senate Regulated Industries Chairwoman Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, also indicated that lawmakers need to "clarify" some requirements included in measures passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people. A panel of experts — including engineers, accountants and attorneys — gave the Regulated Industries Committee an update on how the laws requiring inspections and adequate reserves have affected the condo industry Bradley said she wanted to help "smooth the transition" for condominium associations to come into compliance with the laws, which many residents say are causing soaring costs. "We're here to find solutions. The condo market will be stronger. Floridians will be safer," she said. About the Tristin Murphy Act On Friday evening, April 15, 2025, the Florida Legislature formally passed the Tristin Murphy Act, the most comprehensive reform to mental health inside the criminal justice system in decades. Murphy, a 37-year-old schizophrenic, had been in and out of jail for years because of his mental illness, without ever receiving the treatment or long-term care he needed. Murphy's final arrest came when he allowed his pickup truck to roll into a pond near the Charlotte County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with littering, and because of the weight of the truck, it was deemed a third-degree felony. Arguing he had no other recourse, a judge sentenced him to three years in prison. On September 16, 2021, a month after arriving at the South Florida prison to begin serving his sentence, Murphy killed himself at the facility with a chainsaw. Murphy's story was chronicled in the 2023 CBS Miami documentary, "Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy."
CBS News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
The 2025 legislative session
The 2025 legislative session Jim and State Senator Jennifer Bradley discuss the condo reform bill, and also the passage of the Tristin Murphy Act, as well as the inability for the legislature to pass a budget plan during the regular legislative session. Guest: State Sen. Jennifer Bradley/R-6th District About condo reform A key senator on Tuesday signaled a willingness to make further changes to safety laws that require inspections of older condominium buildings and adequate reserves for repairs, saying more urgent structural needs should be prioritized. Senate Regulated Industries Chairwoman Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, also indicated that lawmakers need to "clarify" some requirements included in measures passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people. A panel of experts — including engineers, accountants and attorneys — gave the Regulated Industries Committee an update on how the laws requiring inspections and adequate reserves have affected the condo industry Bradley said she wanted to help "smooth the transition" for condominium associations to come into compliance with the laws, which many residents say are causing soaring costs. "We're here to find solutions. The condo market will be stronger. Floridians will be safer," she said. About the Tristin Murphy Act On Friday evening, April 15, 2025, the Florida Legislature formally passed the Tristin Murphy Act, the most comprehensive reform to mental health inside the criminal justice system in decades. Murphy, a 37-year-old schizophrenic, had been in and out of jail for years because of his mental illness, without ever receiving the treatment or long-term care he needed. Murphy's final arrest came when he allowed his pickup truck to roll into a pond near the Charlotte County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with littering, and because of the weight of the truck, it was deemed a third-degree felony. Arguing he had no other recourse, a judge sentenced him to three years in prison. On September 16, 2021, a month after arriving at the South Florida prison to begin serving his sentence, Murphy killed himself at the facility with a chainsaw. Murphy's story was chronicled in the 2023 CBS Miami documentary, "Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy."
CBS News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
"Tristin Murphy Act" passes unanimously, heading to Gov. DeSantis
On Friday evening, the Florida Legislature formally passed the Tristin Murphy Act, the most comprehensive reform to mental health inside the criminal justice system in decades. Murphy, a 37-year-old schizophrenic, had been in and out of jail for years because of his mental illness, without ever receiving the treatment or long-term care he needed. Murphy's final arrest came when he allowed his pickup truck to roll into a pond near the Charlotte County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with littering, and because of the weight of the truck, it was deemed a third-degree felony. Arguing he had no other recourse, a judge sentenced him to three years in prison. On September 16, 2021, a month after arriving at the South Florida prison to begin serving his sentence, Murphy killed himself at the facility with a chainsaw. Murphy's story was chronicled in the 2023 CBS Miami documentary, "Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy." The Tristin Murphy Act will stress treatment, rather than incarceration, for non-violent offenders with serious mental illnesses. The bill will also make mental health treatment and follow-up care a condition of probation or release – an option the judge in the Tristin Murphy case said he did not have. After passing the Senate last month, the House took up the bill and passed it unanimously Friday evening. The bill is now headed to the Governor's desk for his signature. "Today we turn a wrong into a right. We shift from incarceration to treatment and from handcuffs to humanity," said the House sponsor of the bill, State Representative Nan Cobb, a Republican from Eustis. "Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, I know you're watching. Please know that your son Tristin didn't die in vain. He has changed the course and lives of individuals who suffer from mental illness. My promise to you and Tristin's sons is to continue to make this bill even better in the future. He will not be forgotten." Cindee Murphy broke down in tears as the House voted. She had travelled to Tallahassee to meet with lawmakers over the past two years, arguing she didn't want what happened to her son to happen to anyone else. In a statement to CBS Miami Friday evening, she wrote: "Dennis and I are thrilled that the Tristin Murphy Act passed the Legislature. There were so many people who worked so hard on this bill, and we're so grateful for everyone's effort." "We hope that this will make a real difference in how people with mental illness are treated when they find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system," she continued. "We look forward to even more improvements being made in mental health care and the criminal justice system in the years to come. Let this be a beginning, not an end." The documentary about Tristin's case caught the attention of legislators, most notably Senate President Ben Albritton, who made mental health reform among his top priorities this year. "Humanity gets the credit for this," Albritton said last month when the Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, "not any individual, because this bill will save lives. It's going to change the trajectory for people in Florida who don't even know it yet. It's going to make our system stronger." "The tragedy of Tristin is a painful reminder of what each of us knows to be true, and that is that the intersection between mental health and our criminal justice system is a very dangerous place for people to be," offered the Senate sponsor of the bill, Senator Jennifer Bradley. "Jails and prisons in Florida struggle with how to manage our mentally ill population, which is where most of our mentally ill are now. For the acutely mentally ill, the cycle is jail, a forensic hospital, living on the street, and inevitably re-arrest. And this bill will break that cycle. And it will focus our resources on treatment, long-term recovery, and stability." The bill significantly expands a program that has been in effect in Miami-Dade County for years and provides more resources across the state. Both the Senate President and Bradley stressed that this bill will make communities safer. "There may be some that read this bill and hear this testimony, and they might think it is soft on crime," Albritton said. "I say it's strong on crime, but it is stronger on common sense." "This bill will provide hope, it will save lives, and more importantly, or just as importantly, this is a bill for public safety," Bradley added. "Getting treatment and long-term stability for these individuals is a public safety bill."
CBS News
13-04-2025
- CBS News
Tristin Murphy Act passes the Florida Senate
Florida legislators unanimously passed Senate Bill 168 - the Tristin Murphy Act . It is designed to reform how mentally ill people like Tristin Murphy are treated in the state's criminal justice system by offering them treatment rather than prison. Tristin Murphy was a 37-year-old schizophrenic when he was sent to a prison on a littering charge. A little more than a month later he killed himself with a chainsaw. Since his death his mother has been fighting for change. Following his death, CBS News Miami launched a two-year investigation into the events that led to that fateful day. Our investigation revealed how police, prosecutors, judges, jailers, and prison officials moved Tristin through the criminal justice system without ever truly addressing his underlying mental problems. Murphy's story was chronicled in the 2023 CBS Miami documentary, Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy . The documentary caught the attention of legislators, most notably Senate President Ben Albritton, who made mental health reform among his top priorities this year. And we discovered Tristin's case is not unique as jails and prisons are being overwhelmed with an ever growing mentally ill population. "Humanity gets the credit for this," Albritton said before the vote, "not any individual, because this bill will save lives. It's going to change the trajectory for people in Florida that don't even know it yet. It's going to make our system stronger."
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida Senate passes Tristin Murphy Act, earning tears and applause from his mother
Cindee Murphy couldn't hold back the tears as the entire Florida Senate stood and gave her a standing ovation after they passed a bill named in honor of her son. "I'm euphoric, I'm so excited," she said moments after the vote. "It was just amazing." The Tristin Murphy Act seeks to change how the mentally ill are treated when they run afoul of the law. The bill prioritizes treatment rather than incarceration for non-violent offenders. Tristin Murphy was a 37-year-old schizophrenic when he was sent to a prison on a littering charge. A little more than a month later he killed himself with a chainsaw. Since his death his mother has been fighting for change. As she watched the Senate discuss the bill, she said her thoughts turned to Tristin. "I wonder what he would think about all of this, I think he would be really proud that there could be some positive results from what happened to him," she said. Tristin left behind two sons, Cody, 17 and Colton, 9. "[Cody] understands now, he understands what happened and he is so supportive of this legislation," said Cindee, who is now raising the two boys. "He's a kid, he doesn't want this to happen to anyone else's dad." And while Colton doesn't know the horrific details of how his father died, Cindee believes knowing this bill passed will make explaining it to him easier. "I just kept telling him, this is something good, it's sad that your dad died but something good is going to come out of it," she said.
