The city of Riviera Beach will host a job fair Thursday for people convicted of felonies who are trying to get their lives back on track.
Mayor Thomas Masters is calling it an “ex-felon job fair.”
It’s the second one of its kind in the city, with the first happening in 2011.
Thursday's job fair begin at the Riviera Beach Marina Event Center at 10 a.m.
The mayor says, "this entire event is about them and what they need. They have paid their debts to society. Now, it's time for society to give back to them, so to speak."
About 10 percent of Florida’s adult population has been convicted of a felony.
“For people with my type of background, they don’t really get the type of support they have, just to show my character as a person. I feel like it would really show who I am, not just because of my background,” said Paul, a job seeker attending the job fair.
Major employers like Coca Cola are expected to attend the job fair and can also qualify for tax credits depending on the details and who they hire.
The mayor also invited a representative from the Supervisor of Elections Office to explain the next steps after Florida voters passed amendment four last month.
The amendment restores voting rights to many convicted felons in the state of Florida. It does not apply to people convicted of rape or murder. There are still questions however about exactly how those impacted will get back on the voter rolls.
The amendment goes into effect on Jan. 8.
