James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital - Tampa, Florida

Army Veteran Malita Smith had her traffic fines reduced from almost $2,300 to $50 by the Veterans Outreach Court Nov. 3 and was able to get her driver's license reinstated.

For Malita Smith, the Veterans Outreach Court held at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Primary Care Annex Nov. 3 was a chance to get back on her feet. 

The Army Veteran had received several citations in the past for driving with a suspended license because she couldn’t afford auto insurance at the time.  With interest and penalties, those fines had grown to almost $2,300, an amount that she said would have taken her years to pay off.

After questioning Smith on her finances and circumstances, the judge reduced her fines to $50. 

“I think the court is awesome,” Smith said as she waited to enter the Florida Licensing on Wheels bus that was parked outside the PCA so she could ask about getting her driver’s license reinstated.  “It gives Veterans a chance to actually get back on their feet and get back into society.  When things start piling up and getting overwhelming and it looks that grim, it’s hard.”

This is the second year the Veterans Outreach Court – the brainchild of Hillsborough County Court Judge Daryl Manning – has operated out of the Primary Care Annex around Veterans Day.  While other areas around the state have hosted similar “stand down” courts, Hillsborough County had never tried the system until last year.

“My interest was sparked when I realized we have the largest Veterans population in the state, so I was kind of perplexed why we were not hosting that type of event,” Manning, a 30-year Army Veteran explained.  “So I approached the chief judge, and he said, ‘I’m supportive of that.  You put it together, you assemble the parties and then we’ll move forward with it.’”

Those parties included his fellow judges, the clerk of the court, state attorney’s office, public defender’s office and the VA.  All bought in to the idea and the first court took place at the PCA in November 2016.  It was so successful – the court saw 40-50 Veterans in one day – that the decision was made to host it again this year.

Veterans are screened before being accepted into the court.  Felonies, violent crimes or child support issues are never seen in the outreach court.

“They had multiple issues ranging from traffic tickets to ordinance violations, and we even had a couple of active misdemeanor warrants,” Manning said.  “These are the low-level offenses that just seem to nag individuals.  We understand that in the Veteran population, we have individuals who are facing mental health issues, [post-traumatic stress disorder], traumatic brain injury and other issues that have unfortunately taken them away participating in the greater society, and unfortunately that has also prevented them from dealing with some of these legal matters.”

At the end of the day, the court had seen 45 Veterans who had 210 cases adjudicated – many of the Veterans had several cases pending.  Approximately $45,000 in court costs were reduced to about $1,600 and 34 Veterans learned they could get their driver’s license back.

Having the opportunity to get out from under some of these legal burdens was uplifting for many of the Veterans.  Marine Corps Veteran Reginald Givens had some traffic infractions that dated back several years which had resulted in his license being suspended when he failed to pay his fines.

“The judge was very nice and very understanding.  He reduced it down to a point where I could pay it and be driving again,” Givens said.  “I have a lot to be proud of as a man, but I don’t have a license, and that doesn’t make me feel good.  I appreciate what he’s doing and all the people who are here.  They’re taking time out to help us get ourselves together.”