An innovative new Gun Violence Offender Court started its first cases last week in Jacksonville designed to speed up prosecutions of some of the city’s most feared criminals to get them off the streets before they can do any more harm.
It will cover all non-homicide cases involving firearms when prosecutors are seeking a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison, according to the administrative order signed by Chief Judge Lance Day. Judge London Kite will oversee all of the cases.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson , whose office helped spearhead the new division, said she thinks it may be the first of its kind in Florida.
“Our office worked in partnership with the courts to establish this particular specialty court,” she said. “Mark Caliel, one of the office’s chief assistants, was integrally involved with Chief Judge Day, Judge [Mark] Borello and ultimately Judge Kite who will be the sitting judge in the court. So it was a collaborative effort. Then Judge Day hosted a couple of meetings with the Regional Conflict Counsel, the public defender, the State Attorney’s Office, so all the stakeholders were involved before the order was issued.”