Vision
Our vision is a justice system in which every person, regardless of their income, has equal access to legal representation and justice.
Mission
Our mission is to empower low income individuals, groups, and communities by providing them with access to justice through legal advice, representation, and advocacy.
Values
Work hard, be passionate, be determined, help others and always keep learning and improving.
FRLS History
Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. was founded in 1966 as a private, non-profit corporation. FRLS provides free civil legal assistance to indigent families and low income elderly people in thirteen South Central Florida counties. FRLS also provides legal assistance to migrant workers throughout the state of Florida.
FRLS is unique in its service of farmworkers because of its rich history. The office of Economic Opportunity – the agency created by R. Sargent Shriver during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration to spearhead the War on Poverty – funded a 2 year demonstration and research project to provide legal services to farmworkers in six South Florida counties. The project was originally called the South Florida Migrant Services.
The program was extremely successful, and to this day, now as FRLS, continues to be the only legal services organization in Florida providing services to farmworkers and migrant workers throughout the state.
Today, FRLS has seven offices and 70 staff members, including 31 attorneys. FRLS helps clients with the following types of legal problems: Consumer, Employment, Public Benefits and Economic Stability, Housing, Elder, and Farm Worker Law. We also provide services in Civil Rights and Family Law. Each year FRLS handles thousands of cases and continues to evolve in the quality and scope of services provided.
