Compensation sought for South Florida man who spent 16 years in prison
TALLAHASSEE - A Senate Democrat has filed a proposal that would pay $817,000 to a man who was imprisoned for 16 years before prosecutors agreed to vacate his conviction because they said he was likely innocent.
Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, filed the bill (SB 8) on Monday for consideration during the 2023 legislative session.
The bill would compensate Leonard Cure, who was arrested in a 2003 robbery of a Dania Beach Walgreens store.
Cure was convicted of armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm and sentenced to life in prison, according to the bill.
Cure maintained his innocence but served 16 years in prison.
In 2020, the Broward County State Attorney's Office recommended that Cure be released while it investigated his case. Prosecutors later recommended that the conviction and sentence be vacated, a request that was granted by a judge, the bill said.