Marquis McKenzie, 31, started a cleaning business from the ground up and this week, his hard work paid off after he landed a big contract with the city of Orlando.

The number of children being charged as adults in Florida’s criminal courts has dropped considerably in the past few years and it’s a trend one local state attorney says should continue.

Marquis McKenzie, 30, said he’s living proof that anyone can overcome past mistakes and that second chances are real. The father of three is now a successful business owner and nonprofit founder, who also advocates for returning citizens who once made mistakes like he did. He said he wants his story to be motivation for his own kids, and also for teens and juvenile offenders. Ever since day one, he’s always told me to trust the process,” said McKenzie, who also spent time in Tallahassee in support of voting rights for returning citizens. “I try to educate them about their voting rights, how important voting is.”McKenzie also motivates young people through his nonprofit called CORE.

ORLANDO, Fla. – As the deadline arrives to register to vote in Florida, an organization is working to help make sure more returning citizens get the chance to vote next month in the general election. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition has been working to pay off fines and fees for the 1.4 million returning citizens who owe fines and fees before they can vote. So far, officials with the FRRC said they’ve paid $25 million in fees and fines for returning citizens statewide. They wrote a check Monday for $1.5 million to pay off past fines for 1,500 returning citizens who qualify in Orange County. For people like Wayne Smith, Monday, the deadline to register, was crunch time to try and vote next month in the general election.

Becoming successful for many business owner means overcoming your past. The first business owner in our "Rooted in Central Florida" series knows all about overcoming obstacles. He's the owner of Dirt Master, a commercial and residential cleaning company. Marquis McKenzie, 29, is the owner of Dirt Master, a commercial and residential cleaning company. If you’d like to learn more about McKenzie’s non-profit or his cleaning business, you can visit www.TheDirtMasters.com or call 407-406-9640.