Florida Justice Institute

Florida Justice Institute The Florida Justice Institute uses impact litigation and advocacy to improve the lives of all Floridians. The Florida Justice Institute, Inc.

(FJI) was founded in 1978 by Roderick N. Petrey while serving as Executive Vice President of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in New York City. Rod was and still is a leading figure in securing funding for public interest law programs across the country. Upon leaving the Clark Foundation to enter the private practice of law in Miami, Rod was given a start-up grant to establish FJI. Rod’s initia

l mission for FJI, a private, not-for-profit, public interest law organization, was to:
1. Improve the administration of justice for all Floridians;
2. Encourage better representation of citizens’ interests; and
3. Increase the ability of citizens to resolve disputes quickly and inexpensively. FJI was to accomplish these goals by working with existing organizations to identify major, unmet needs in the community and address them with advocacy and litigation. FJI’s initial Board of Directors, in addition to Rod, included LeRoy Collins, former Governor and Undersecretary of Commerce; Chesterfield Smith, former President of The Florida Bar and American Bar Association and managing partner at Holland & Knight; John Edward Smith, a partner at Steel Hector & Davis; Hugh McMillan, Jr., former Legislative Counsel for Governor Askew and in private practice; and Eleanor Mitchell Hunter, Assistant General Counsel to the Governor and eventual Executive Director of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. After incorporating the organization, establishing the Board, and obtaining section 501(c)(3) charitable status, FJI hired Randall C. “Randy” Berg, Jr. in 1978 to be its Executive Director, a position he held until his retirement at the end of 2018. Randy sadly passed away in April of 2019.

06/05/2026

We’re a non-profit organization increasing access to justice for some of our most vulnerable populations.

We focus on preserving human rights in the justice system, empowering vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness and poverty, and providing dignity for people with disabilities.

Visit FJI.law to get in touch and see resources for help with other kinds of legal assistance.

06/04/2026

Join us in welcoming Kadia Mohammed to the team!

Kadia is a rising third-year law student at the University of Miami School of Law, where she serves as President of the Caribbean Law Students Association. She spent her 2L year working in UM's Immigration Clinic, where she argued two deportation cases in immigration court.

Before that, Kadia interned with the Innocence Project of Florida investigating wrongful conviction claims. She also brings a background in the Humanities and Behavioral and Social Sciences from the University of Central Florida.

Welcome, Kadia!

Media description: A photo of Kadia is beside text that reads, "Welcome Kadia Mohammed, Intern"

06/04/2026

We're excited to welcome Kourteney Salmon to the Florida Justice Institute team.

Kourteney is a rising second-year law student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law. She comes to FJI with a clear focus, she wants to be a civil rights attorney taking on wrongful convictions, mass incarceration, and the school-to-prison pipeline.

She spent her 1L year volunteering as an Admissions Ambassador, supporting intake calls for Community Legal Services, and working in the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. As an undergraduate at FAMU, she also interned with the Innocence Project of Florida.

Welcome, Kourteney!

Media description:
A photo of Kourteney is beside text that reads, "Welcome Kourteney Salmon, Intern"

06/03/2026

We want to take a moment to recognize Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo.

Bam was just named the NBA's Social Justice Champion and awarded the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy for his work through the Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation.

This past season, the foundation invested over $563,000 across 18 initiatives focused on education, food security, and youth development across South Florida and North Carolina.

That includes funding transportation for more than 19,000 students to attend the Miami Book Fair and donating a renovated basketball court to Camillus House, a shelter serving people experiencing homelessness right here in Miami.

That kind of commitment to community is worth celebrating and it speaks to our shared mission of increasing housing access.

Media description: A photo of Bam is surrounded by text outlining his work and the award given by the NBA.

06/02/2026

In 2018, 65% of Florida voters passed Amendment 4, one of the largest expansions of voting rights in the country in decades.

FJI attorneys helped craft the language that made it happen. The amendment restored voting rights automatically for people with felony convictions once they completed their sentences.

That win took years of organizing, litigation, and coalition building. And it mattered to hundreds of thousands of people who had served their time and deserved a voice in their future.

Now, with mid-decade redistricting reshaping political power across Florida, that voice matters more than ever.

FJI believes everyone deserves the right to have a say in their respective futures and maintains its commitment to dignity and justice for all.

Support our work and learn more at linkin.bio/fji

Media description:
Text in front of Election Day pins reads, “In 2018 over 1 million Floridians regained the right to vote FJI helped craft the language of Amendment 4, which restores voting rights to people with a past felony conviction.”

06/01/2026

The Florida Justice Institute mourns the loss of Ruth Shack, a trailblazer for civil rights in Miami-Dade County.

As a County Commissioner in 1977, Ruth championed an amendment to Miami-Dade's Human Rights Ordinance to protect residents from discrimination in housing and other areas of life. It was a bold stand that shaped the community we live in today.

Her later work leading The Miami Foundation carried that same
commitment to building a more just and equitable South Florida.

Ruth's legacy is a reminder that lasting change requires people willing to act when it matters most.

Our thoughts are with her family and all who carry her work forward.

See the full obituary at linkin.bio/fji

Media description:
A photo of Ruth Shack fills the frame above text that reads, "In honor of Ruth Shack, Trailblazer for civil rights"

05/26/2026

We want to continue to raise awareness during May by looking back at the passage of the Tristin Murphy Act.

Thanks to the efforts of the Murphy family, people are now screened for mental health issues early in the custody process so that they can get the care they need and deserve.

Training, funding, and other measures were also implemented to create mental health diversion programs and teach first responders about de-escalation.

Last year, Tristin's mother, Cindee Murphy, sat down with CBS to talk about what the moment meant to her.

We are honored to have been a part in getting the Tristin Murphy Act passed, and we’ll continue to advocate for mental healthcare access going forward.

Media description: A CBS interview with Cindee Murphy plays on screen above text that reads, "Looking back on the passage of the Tristin Murphy Act"

05/25/2026

Today we honor the people who gave their lives in service to this country.

Honoring them can mean more than flags and ceremony. It should include making sure veterans have real access to housing, healthcare, and mental health support when they need it.

Too many veterans return home to face housing insecurity, untreated trauma, and systems that are not built to serve them.

That gap between the rhetoric and the reality is where the harm can happen.

Media description: Memorial flags are pictured above text that reads, "Honoring sacrifice and service this Memorial Day"

05/22/2026

Summer in Florida is brutal. For people experiencing homelessness, the elderly, and people inside state prisons with no air conditioning, it can be deadly.

Florida’s heat and humidity combine in a way that overwhelms the body fast. There is no safe way to endure it without relief.

FJI is in court pushing for better conditions in Florida prisons. And our housing advocacy work fights to make sure no one is forced to face that heat on the street without options.

Learn more about both fights at linkin.bio/fji

Media description: A motion graphic showing high temperatures in Florida reads, “Florida's summer heat is a public health emergency. Extreme heat causes an additional 600 deaths per year in Miami-Dade alone.”

05/21/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We want to remind everyone that mental healthcare still needs to improve for our most vulnerable populations.

Progress has been made. But for people inside Florida’s prisons and jails, people without a place to call home, and for people with disabilities, mental health care access still needs to improve.

The Tristin Murphy Act was a step forward. More training, better procedures, expanded access to care. FJI was proud to support the Murphy family in making that happen.

There is still more ground to cover, both inside prisons and out.

Follow to see us keep pushing for access to mental healthcare.

Media description: An illustration of a healthy mind is above text that reads, “May is Mental Health Awareness Month”

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Miami, FL
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