Duval Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, urging the swift resolution of a case involving Floridian Sharitta Grier. Grier is one of five Americans recently arrested on the island for what has been described as an unintentional mistake. Two of these individuals have since been released back to the United States.

Senator Scott has been in contact with the U.S. Department of State and the British Ambassador to discuss necessary actions to ensure these Americans are returned home safely as soon as possible.

The full text of Senator Scott's letter reads:

"Dear Governor Daniel-Selvaratnam,

I write in support of the swift resolution of the case involving my constituent, Ms. Sharitta Grier, and urge your assistance to enable her reunification with her family in Florida as quickly as possible.

For Ms. Grier, what began as a surprise Mother’s Day gift of a dream vacation to Turks & Caicos has turned into a nightmare scenario. Since her arrest at the airport, she has endured days of being shackled to an administrative desk and forced to sleep on the floor at the police station, and now she must remain on the island at great personal expense while the threat of severe punishment looms over her for conduct that, by all accounts, appears to be an inadvertent mistake.

Pursuing strict liability against Ms. Grier for an inadvertent act that wholly lacks any element of criminal intent is a miscarriage of justice. Punishment is merited where an individual knows certain conduct is prohibited and nonetheless willfully acts to violate that restriction, but, as I understand it, none of the five Americans who have recently been detained on the island for similar charges had any intent whatsoever to break the law.

I urge you to act swiftly in this matter to secure Ms. Grier’s timely return to her family in Florida."