Pinellas Times

State Rep. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) is in his second year serving the public as he continues to fight for prison reform and other key social issues.

The former combat veteran introduced the “Second-Look Act” that would reduce the sentences of felons who were 25 or younger when convicted. It would allow offenders convicted of crimes when they were 25 years old or younger to apply for reduced prison sentences or, if a court deems them capable of re-entering society, release them from state custody altogether.

In 2010, Brandes won the 52nd District seat in Pinellas County, and after the redistriciting in 2012, Brandes ran in the 22nd District, in the southern Pinellas County and South Tampa, and won.

He has sponsored legislation allowing motorists to have an administrative appeals process when receiving tickets from red-light cameras and has become a strong voice in local politics.

"Serving our community in the State Senate has been one of the great honors of my life. We're working hard every day to deliver results for  Florida families on issues such as criminal justice, insurance and transportation reform, but our work is just beginning," Brandes said in a social media post.