PALM BEACH, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday morning signed a bill in Palm Beach that he said would greenlight the disclosure of grand jury materials regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case that are nearly two decades old.
“This is long overdue, but again, we feel that we can’t just turn a blind eye,” DeSantis said. “I’m going to sign HB 117. It will allow the disclosure of grand jury testimony in this Jeffrey Epstein case and if there were cases similar if the subject of the inquiry is dead, if the investigation’s about sexual assault with a minor — sexual activity with a minor — that the testimony was previously disclosed by a court order and if the state attorney is notified, and so this is going to affect perhaps more than just this case but a relatively small number of cases. And so we’re happy in Florida to be leading the effort for transparency and for accountability because what happened was clearly wrong and the punishment was simply fully inadequate to the crime.”
The Florida Legislature sent CS/HB 117 — “Disclosure of Grand Jury Testimony” — to the governor on Wednesday. Now that it’s been signed, it will take effect July 1.
The law will release materials from the 2006 grand jury investigation into sex trafficking allegations. Critics have long said that state and federal prosecutors were lenient with Epstein in negotiating a plea deal. An investigation by the Miami Herald in 2018 led new sex trafficking charges. Epstein was 66 when he was found dead in his jail cell of apparent suicide in a federal facility in New York City in 2019.
Federal prosecutors had accused him of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars for massages at his homes in Florida and New York, where he then molested them.
Watch the news conference again in the media player below:
In 2019 the Palm Beach Post sued the Palm Beach County state attorney to get the grand jury proceedings unsealed to learn why the grand jury returned minimal charges.
While the law goes into effect on July 1, the judge presiding over the lawsuit may release the transcripts sooner.
Among some other bills awaiting the governor’s signature is HB 317, a proposed law to fine “left-lane camping” on roads with at least two lanes and speed limits at or above 65 mph. It was passed unanimously by the Florida Senate last week after the House voted 113-3 to pass it the week prior.
There is also HB 1, which would force children under 16 off social media. DeSantis has reservations about signing the bill, which was the priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. Renner told reporters Wednesday that he and DeSantis were talking about the bill and what would need to be done to make DeSantis feel more comfortable about potential constitutional violations.
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