FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved a $1.7 million payment to a Broward County man who was once sentenced to 400 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of serving as the getaway driver in a robbery near Fort Lauderdale.
Sidney Holmes, now 59, can’t get the 34 years he spent behind bars back, but he can live the rest of his days knowing that his name has been cleared.
“This a gesture that recognizes Mr. Holmes was wronged and that we, in the State of Florida and in the justice system, will help him and compensate him,” said State Attorney Harold Pryor, whose Conviction Review Unit identified Holmes’ case and conducted the investigation that determined he was an innocent man.
Holmes was 22 years old when he was accused of taking part in a Father’s Day 1988 robbery at the One Stop store in the 2500 block of Northwest Sixth Street, in an unincorporated area west of Fort Lauderdale. The getaway driver was described by a witness as “short and heavyset.” Holmes was a lanky 6 feet and 183 pounds.
He also said he was at a family gathering at the time of the robbery. It didn’t matter: A jury convicted him the following April, and the prosecutor, calling Holmes a habitual offender, sought a prison term of 825 years. Circuit Judge Mel Grossman, finding that sentence too harsh, ordered Holmes behind bars for 400 years.
“The reason for my recommendation and an exceedingly high number of years is to ensure that he won’t be released from prison while he’s breathing,” the original prosecutor said at Holmes’ sentencing hearing.
The conviction review unit became aware of Holmes’ case in 2020 and convinced a judge to release him in 2023. “It’s surreal,” Holmes said when he walked out of jail after spending more than half his life behind bars. “I never would give up hope. I knew this day was going to come sooner or later, and today is the day.”
Because of his prior criminal record, Holmes was not legally entitled to payment under the state’s law on compensating victims of wrongful incarceration. A claims bill filed by state Rep. Michael Gottlieb and state Sen. Jason Pizzo was passed earlier this year and signed Tuesday by the governor.
Holmes will receive $1,722,000 along with 120 hours of college or career center tuition and fees.
“Since his release from prison, Mr. Holmes has obtained full-time employment,” the State Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. “He has also visited our office and participated in training sessions by talking to our prosecutors about his experience and how to try to avoid wrongful convictions in the future.”
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