State of Florida v. Budry Michel

Summary

The court held that a juvenile offender sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after twenty-five years is not serving life without parole and therefore is not entitled to resentencing under Florida's juvenile sentencing statutes. It concluded that Florida's parole system provides a meaningful opportunity for release based on maturity and rehabilitation through an initial parole review and periodic subsequent reviews. The court accordingly quashed the Fourth District's decision and approved the conflicting Fifth District decisions to the extent consistent with its reasoning.