More than a half-century after a violent, dramatic criminal case in central Florida earned national attention, the State Senate passed a resolution Thursday apologizing to the families of four black men who were “victims of racial hatred” and “gross injustices” during the era of state-sanctioned segregation in the American South.

The so-called Groveland Four — Charles Greenlee, Ernest Thomas, Walter Irvin and Samuel Shepherd — were accused of raping a white woman in 1949 near the city of Groveland in Lake County, Fla. One was killed within days. Three were beaten in custody and convicted. Of those, one was shot dead on his way to a retrial.

They are all dead now. The resolution, which earlier passed the Florida House, extended a “heartfelt apology” for their mistreatment and wrongful convictions, and urged Gov. Rick Scott to grant them full pardons.

“We’re very hopeful that the governor and his cabinet will appreciate the message that’s being sent,” said Gary Farmer, a Democrat in the Senate who sponsored the bill along with Bobby DuBose, a Democrat in the House. “It’s bipartisan, and there’s really no question about these men’s innocence.”