Florida Justice Institute

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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 initial 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.

10/15/2026

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, the stories we shared show that Hispanic heritage is Florida history. Civil rights advocates took on discrimination in Miami, organized after living in segregated Tampa, and built a human rights movement in Immokalee.

They all share a belief that every person deserves dignity, opportunity, and equal justice. Those beliefs are the exact ones that guide our work and advocacy at FJI. Let us know in the comments if you liked this history series!

10/14/2026

Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust has won up to $12 million in federal funding to bring mental health and substance use care directly to people living on the street. Miami police say people experiencing homelessness with these needs accounted for over 1,600 crisis calls this year.

Too often, the response to a mental health crisis on the street is a police car and a jail cell. We’re hopeful this new funding will improve diversion programs and resources for the people who need it. Read the full WLRN story at wlrn.org/news-in-brief/2026-10-05/homeless-trust-awarded-12m-grant-to-help-those-with-severe-mental-illness-substance-abuse-in-miami

10/13/2026

For a person with untreated serious mental illness, the noise, the violence, and the lack of sleep can make symptoms worse.

By the time the state finally moves someone to a hospital, their health is often worse than when the judge first ordered treatment, and they need a longer stay to recover. The delays harm the people who are most vulnerable and makes the entire system slower and more expense. Support our case against these delays at linkin.bio/fji

10/12/2026

Native people experience homelessness at more than twice the national rate, according to a National Alliance to End Homelessness analysis of HUD data.

This Indigenous Peoples' Day, we want to remind you that the housing crisis, and the laws that make it worse, disproportionately hurt native communities. Push back on laws that punish poverty with your voice and your vote.

10/09/2026

Dr. Antonia Pantoja founded ASPIRA in 1961 because she believed young people needed the tools and confidence to lead their communities. The movement she built spread across the country, including the opening of ASPIRA of Florida.

In 1996 Pantoja became the first Puerto Rican woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her work asks us to measure justice by the presence of real opportunities, not just the absence of discrimination.

10/07/2026

Holding people with mental illness in jail without therapy or medication is inhumane. These are pretrial detainees who have not been convicted of any offense.

With the right treatment, many people can stabilize. Instead, they wait for months in jails not equipped to help them. FJI is fighting these delays in court right now. Support work like this at linkin.bio/fji

10/06/2026

This past weekend, FJI was honored to stand with our partners at FCARE during their sleepout rally in Miami Beach. Thank you to everyone who came out in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness.

Florida law pushes cities to punish people for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go. FJI will keep fighting those laws in court, pushing for real housing solutions, and uplifting the local orgs helping people every day.

Video credit: Mark Horvath of InvisiblePeople

10/05/2026

Frank Angones arrived in Miami from Cuba in 1961, separated from his parents and unable to speak English. Decades later, he became the first Cuban-born president of The Florida Bar.

He used that position to increase diversity among Florida attorneys, provide legal services for people who could not afford them, and organize attorneys around human rights cases.

10/03/2026

FCARE is hosting a sleepout today in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness, and FJI will be there during the rally to support. Thousands of our neighbors don’t have a home, and state law now lets cities punish people when they have nowhere else to go.

FJI fights those laws in court and pushes for real housing solutions. To quote FJI Executive Director Michael Langley, "To build support, it’s about educating the masses, engaging with change makers and communities, and advocating for justice for all."

Join us and our partners at FCARE at Lummus Park in Miami Beach at 2pm to build that support.

Address

Miami, FL
33128

Telephone

+13053582081

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