Innocence Project of Florida

10/08/2026

NEW DATE, SAME COMMUNITY LOVE! 🎉

Due to the incoming storm, we’re moving our Jacksonville Community Block Party to Saturday, October 24, from 12–4 PM at the Simonds-Johnson Community Center!

While we were looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend, we’re excited to make this event even BIGGER and BETTER! 🎈

Join us for an afternoon of FREE family fun, including bounce houses, face painting, cotton candy, food, music, arts & crafts, community resources, and more!

🗳️ Plus, with our new date falling during early voting, we’re working to bring a special Party at the Polls experience to life!

Most importantly, please stay safe, stay informed, and take care of yourselves and one another as the storm approaches. Our community’s safety will always come first.

We can’t wait to see you on October 24! Help us spread the word! 📣

10/08/2026

Next week, we’re gathering in Jacksonville to learn more about Leo Schofield's case and explore the evidence, questions, and developments that have kept thousands of people following his story.

Leo was convicted of murdering his wife, Michelle, despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and spent 35 years in prison before being released on parole in 2024. This special SAO4 Speaker Series brings together Leo Schofield, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Bone Valley creator Gilbert King, and The Prosecutors hosts Alice LaCour and Brett Talley for a detailed discussion of the case from multiple perspectives.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
⏰ 3:00–4:30 PM
📍 State Attorney’s Office | Ceremonial Courtroom, 5th Floor, 311 W. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202

Join us for an important conversation about Leo Schofield's case, the evidence, and the pursuit of truth and justice.

RSVP by October 10: [email protected]

10/07/2026

A huge thank you to White & Case LLP (Miami) and everyone who joined us for an evening of connection, conversation, and community in support of the Innocence Project of Florida!

We were grateful for the opportunity to bring people together around our mission and to hear from Executive Director Seth Miller and IPF Paralegal and freed client Stephanie Spurgeon, whose lived experience powerfully reminds us why this work matters.

A very special thank you to IPF Board Member Honorable Raoul G. Cantero, Esq., for helping make this connection possible and bringing our communities together. We are deeply grateful for his continued leadership, support, and commitment to our work.

Thank you to everyone who spent the evening learning more about wrongful convictions, connecting with our team, and showing your support for the people and families at the heart of this work. And special thanks to White & Case for creating space for these important conversations and helping us keep building a community committed to freedom, justice, and lasting change. 💙

10/06/2026

In case you missed it: Wrongful Conviction Day may be behind us, but the work to prevent wrongful convictions continues.

In a new op-ed, our Executive Director, Seth Miller, explores how eyewitness misidentification and emerging facial recognition technology can put innocent people at risk, and the evidence-based reforms Florida can pursue to prevent these injustices before they happen.

Freedom matters. Prevention does too.

Read the full op-ed:

From eyewitness errors to flawed AI, Florida must modernize identification to stop wrongful convictions now.

10/05/2026

Today is the LAST DAY to register to vote in Florida! 🗳️

It only takes a minute to double-check your voter registration status and make sure your information is up to date.

Then, come celebrate community and civic engagement with us in Jacksonville on Saturday, October 10, from 12–4 PM at the Simonds-Johnson Community Center! We’ll have food, music, family activities, community resources, voter information, and more. 💙

Check your status today. Then come hang out with us on Saturday!

10/02/2026

This , we were honored to receive an official proclamation from Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey recognizing October 2 as Wrongful Conviction Day in our community.

We were especially grateful to have Innocence Project client Paul Hildwin with us for this recognition. Paul spent nearly 30 years on Florida’s death row and almost 35 years incarcerated while maintaining his innocence. DNA testing ultimately excluded Paul from critical crime scene evidence, and additional testing identified the victim’s estranged boyfriend as the source of that DNA. Paul finally walked free in 2020 after accepting a plea agreement that allowed him to maintain his innocence and avoid facing a second death penalty trial.

Having Paul beside us was a powerful reminder of why this recognition matters. Wrongful convictions don't just impact the innocent people who lose years or decades of their freedom; they affect families, communities, public trust, and the integrity of our justice system. A proclamation creates another opportunity to bring those realities into the public conversation and reaffirm the importance of preventing wrongful convictions before they happen.

And there is still work to do.

In a new article, IPF Executive Director Seth Miller examines how eyewitness misidentification and emerging facial recognition technology can contribute to wrongful convictions, and the evidence-based reforms Florida can consider to better protect innocent people.

Wrongful Conviction Day honors people like Paul who have endured these injustices, while also challenging us to ask what can be done to ensure fewer people experience them in the future.

Read the full article to learn more. https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/florida-needs-rules-stop-wrongful-090351074.html

10/02/2026

We had such an incredible morning at our Coffee Shop Pop-Up! ☕

Thank you to EVERYONE who stopped by, grabbed a cup, learned more about our work, and spent the morning in community with us.

A special thank you to the incredible baristas at Argonaut Coffee, Little Coyote Bakery for the delicious baked goods everyone raved about, and our entire IPF team for bringing the morning together.

We are so grateful to do this work alongside a community of people who care deeply about freedom, justice, and the people at the heart of this work. Thank you for showing up with us. 💙

10/02/2026

Today is , a day to raise awareness about how wrongful convictions happen, amplify the stories of people who have been freed and exonerated, and advocate for reforms that can prevent these injustices from happening again.

Since 2003, we have been deeply invested in this work across Florida. Today, we honor those who have come home, stand with those still fighting for freedom, and recommit ourselves to building a more just and accurate system.

Learn. Share. Take action. 💙