Florida Cabinet Will Meet Tuesday to Discuss Dozier Exhumation

The Florida Cabinet will be meeting Tuesday to discuss the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, possibly giving a team of researchers from the University of South Florida the green light to proceed with the exhumation process at several burial sites at the school.

At the Tuesday meeting, Gov. Rick Scott and the members of the Florida Cabinet will consider the request for "a joint land-use agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection." If approved, a team of USF researchers led by Drs. Erin Kimmerle and Christian Wells will be allowed to excavate human remains believed to be located in the Boot Hill cemetery on the school's property.

According to the agenda for the meeting, the Cabinet has recommended approving the land-use agreement.

The Cabinet meeting comes after Secretary of State Ken Detzner denied the research team's request to exhume bodies at the school. According to Detzner, his department does not have the legal authority to grant the request.

The exhumation process has gathered support from Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. Both released statements on the Dozier school. Putnam said the Dozier families "deserve better than how they've been treated."

USF researchers will attempt to see if they can identify remains at the reform school and possibly discover how they died.

Dozier has gathered considerable criticism and controversy over the years for alleged beatings, rapes and possible murders that were committed at the school.