ORLANDO, Fla. — A nonprofit Florida felon advocacy group has launched a program to provide financial help for felons who have to pay their fines and fees before they're eligible to vote.

• Advocacy group starts fund to help pay for felons' restitution
• SB 7066 requires felons to pay court fines before voting rights restored
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  • Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Felon Voting Rights Bill

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, headed by Desmond Meade, has started the "Amendment 4 Fines and Fees Fund."

The organization says Amendment 4 restored the voting rights of more than 1.4 million Floridians. But Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law late last month that requires felons to pay any outstanding court-ordered fines before their voting rights could be restored. Opponents of SB 7066, passed by the GOP-led Legislature, have called it a "poll tax."

"We will be continuously fundraising to make sure that those individuals that may not be able to get services by the court system, those that have demonstrated financial need, that we will be working with them on a continuous basis," said Meade, an Orlando-based advocate who was named in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2019.

Organizational leaders said they are looking forward to visiting communities across the state to educate and engage with the new voters.