Commissioner Murman quoted in this 10News story on rape kits:

Newly tested rape kit from 2009 leads to arrest

Mike Deeson, WTSP5:41 p.m. EST December 16, 2015

Winter Haven, Florida — New and promising information on a 10Investigates investigation into testing rape kits.

A rape kit that had gone untested since 2009 was finally sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing and it has led to an arrest.

Earlier this year, 10Investigates explained after we made public records requests to law enforcement agencies we found thousands of kits went untested. Some of the police agencies immediately started clearing the backlog.

Attorney General Pam Bondi made it a top priority to have the kits tested and other media outlets began examining untested rape kits in their own backyard. That led to the arrest of 43-year-old Rodrecius Hamilton.

The Winter Haven Police Department uncovered a number of untested kits after a request by the Lakeland Ledger. Hamilton’s DNA was already in the system and it matched the DNA from an untested kit.

On Wednesday, Hillsborough Commissioner Sandy Murman said every police agency in the state needs to clear the backlog.

Murman told her fellow commissioners, “I think it would go a long way to help some of these victims and help with some of the criminals that are out there. I know that testing costly — it would be 9 million more dollars — but I wanted us to send a letter to the governor to state the concern about the backlog of these kits and encourage the governor to push FDLE to address this backlog as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Winter Haven Police reached out to the victim and apologized for the detective who was working the case. I asked what happened and the only answers were he dropped the ball and he is no longer with the department.

Also on Wednesday, Congress included $45 million in its budget for testing rape kits nationally next year.