A new effort aims to keep kids out of adult courts.
Florida's "No Place For a Child" coalition is trying to make it harder to file adult charges against kids.
According to the group, Florida tries more kids in adult court than any other state. Many of these offenses are for non-violent crimes like stealing a car or breaking into an unoccupied home, and Palm Beach Senator Bobby Powell says that with these charges, kids are being branded as criminals for life.
“What has happened is that we have stigmatized many of our young people by making sure that they have these criminal charges at such an early age. They are not able to participate in the economy," Powell said.
Both the House and Senate bills were filed last month, in advance of the 2018 session which starts in January. So far, neither bill has been heard by any legislative committee.