Reverse the trend of upgrading offenses to felonies.

Public defenders and state attorneys may work on opposite sides of the courtroom aisle, but they meet in the middle in agreeing Florida needs to review its criminal laws and sentences.

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Too many traffic cases wind up in criminal court.

Too many misdemeanors are being enhanced to felonies.

Second Circuit Public Defender Nancy Daniels, representing the Florida Public Defender Association, and Eighth Circuit State Attorney Bill Cervone, representing the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, want to go forward with the Correctional Policy Advisory Council that would take a look at reviewing criminal statutes and possibly reduce prison admissions.

That was the purpose of the Correctional Policy Advisory Council created by the 2008 Legislature but never put into action.

Cervone cited this number from the Office of the State Courts Administrator: in FY 2007-08, there were about 550,000 criminal traffic cases, not counting driving under the influence.

"Whether any or all of those 550,000 cases really need to be in the criminal courts is something that probably needs to be addressed and that this council could take a look at," Cervone told the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee.

"I can tell you that for every one of those 550,000 cases, a prosecutor had to do intake and had to process it, had to go to court and resolve it, and do everything that was involved with it. I can't tell you whether there was a commensurate result worth that time and money for every one of those 550,000 cases."

Additionally, Cervone said, "We think it's important that the Legislature, through this council, look at reversing the trend of reclassifying offenses of misdemeanors to felonies. Over the last few years, I've sat through many committee meetings in both chambers where we talked about, 'Let's make this a felony instead of a misdemeanor.'

"For example, last week there was a discussion here about...