Warning: Constant ABSPATH already defined in /home/flanews/public_html/wp-config.php on line 34
Capitol News Service » Blog Archive » Alan Crotzer Compensation Signed

Welcome to

Capitol News Service

Florida's Best Political Coverage on Television

 


 


 


Recent Posts

RSS Quote of the Day

  • Charles Baudelaire
    "Everything that is beautiful and noble is the product of reason and calculation."
  • Wilson Mizner
    "The best way to keep your friends is not to give them away."
  • Benjamin Disraeli
    "Silence is the mother of truth."
  • H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
    "Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness."

Alan Crotzer Compensation Signed

April 10th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

A St. Petersburg man who spent 24 years in prison is now 1 million 250 thousand dollars richer. Governor Charlie Crist signed the legislation proving compensation for those years behind bars, But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, Alan crotzer says no amount of money can repay him for the years lost.

The document that set Alan Crotzer free hangs prominently on his living room wall. He knows exactly how long he was behind bars.

“24 years, 6 months, 13 days, and 4 hours– wrongfully convicted,” Crotzer said.

Since his release after DNA proved Alan Crotzer innocent, he has been working as a land scape artist in Tallahassee. His freedom is something his mother never got to see. She died in 2001.

“From the beginning, she asked me ‘son, do you know anything about it?’ And I said no,” Crotzer said. After that, she began to talk to me confidently, saying ‘Please don’t worry about it. God’s gonna fix it.”

2 years 2 months 18 days and 5 hours after his release, the state did it’s best to make up for the mistake.

“Without further adieu, I want to sign this into law,” Governor Crist said.

Governor Charlie Crist’s signature makes Alan 1.25 million dollars richer.

The settlement works out to about 50 thousand dollars a year. But Crotzer says it can’t make up for what he lost.

“I was thinking about being in the Coast Guard,” Crotzer said.  “I was thinking about a lot of things. I wanted to travel, I wanted an education. Nothing can give you back 25 years of your life.”

For now, Alan is keeping his job, but the claims bill also provides tuition for Alan at a state university.  And that is likely next on his agenda.

Posted in Charlie Crist, State News | No Comments »

Leave a Comment

Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.

copyright © 2016 by Capitol News Service | Powered by Wordpress | Hosted by LyonsHost.com