Nationwide — Sidney Holmes, an African American man from Broward County, Florida, spent 34 years in prison for a robbery he didn’t commit. Now 59 years old, he will receive $1.7 million in compensation for the decades he lost behind bars. Holmes was just 23 when he was convicted in 1988 of serving as the getaway driver in a robbery near Fort Lauderdale. He always maintained he was innocent and said he was home the night of the crime and had no part in it. Despite his claims, he was sentenced to 400 years in prison.

“I thought, you know, that was it,” he told NBC Miami. “I was going to die in prison.”Thursday, July 17, 2025

Florida Black Man Gets $1.7M After 34 Years of Being Wrongfully Imprisoned

Nationwide — Sidney Holmes, an African American man from Broward County, Florida, spent 34 years in prison for a robbery he didn’t commit. Now 59 years old, he will receive $1.7 million in compensation for the decades he lost behind bars. Holmes was just 23 when he was convicted in 1988 of serving as the getaway driver in a robbery near Fort Lauderdale. He always maintained he was innocent and said he was home the night of the crime and had no part in it. Despite his claims, he was sentenced to 400 years in prison.

“I thought, you know, that was it,” he told NBC Miami. “I was going to die in prison.”

While in prison, Holmes didn’t give up. He focused on education and used his time to earn several degrees, including a theology degree and certifications in legal services and computers.

“I turned anger into success, I took anger and I educated myself; I got a degree, I got a theology degree, I got pr, legal service degree, computer certification,” he said.

In recent years, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office reopened the case through its Conviction Review Unit. Investigators found that the key evidence — witness descriptions of a yellow car — was weak because yellow cars were very common at the time. This helped clear Holmes’s name, and he was released in 2023.

Even after his release, Holmes didn’t get the compensation Florida law usually provides to those wrongfully convicted because of his past record. But earlier this year, this was addressed as lawmakers passed a special bill. Governor Ron DeSantis signed it, awarding Holmes $1.7 million.

“There’s no money… it’s not never going to be enough money in your lifetime to take up all of the memories. The time that you lost, I lost my father, you know, I missed 34 years of not being a son to my father because… I was his only son,” Holmes said.

Now free, Holmes is turning his experience into action. He’s writing a book and starting a foundation to support others who have been wrongfully convicted.