DeSantis Signs New ‘Law-And-Order’ Bills That Allows The Death Penalty For Pedophiles

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Tough-on-Crime Bills into Law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken a strong stance against crime by signing a new package of bills into law on Monday. The three bills are designed to keep criminals off the streets and protect the safety of Floridians.

The Three Bills

• House Bill 1627 targets bail reforms being pushed by leftist prosecutors, increases penalties on fentanyl traffickers, and makes those who commit certain crimes against children eligible for the death penalty.
• House Bill 1359 increases criminal penalties on those who traffic “rainbow fentanyl” by making those who traffic such substances eligible for a life sentence and imposing a minimum 25 year sentence and a $1 million penalty and making it a first-degree felony to possess, sell, or manufacture fentanyl and other controlled substances that resemble candy.
• House Bill 1297 imposes the death penalty on pedophiles who “commit sexual battery against children under the age of 12.”

“Florida is a law-and-order state with a 50-year record low crime rate and double-digit year-over-year decreases in murder, burglary, and overall crime,” DeSantis said in a statement. “For three consecutive legislative sessions we have enacted tough-on-crime policies, and this year we are continuing to implement measures to protect our communities and keep Florida safe, with a particular emphasis on keeping criminals in jail and throwing the book at pedophiles.”

House Bill 1627

House Bill 1627 addresses “bail reforms” through a variety of actions, including requiring the Florida Supreme Court to develop a uniform statewide bond schedule by the end of the year. The bill prohibits judges from setting a lower bond amount than the uniform state bond, prohibits a defendant from being released prior to their first appearance in court if they have been arrested for a violent or heinous crime, and adds a series of crimes to the state’s list of “dangerous crimes.”

House Bill 1359

House Bill 1359 increases criminal penalties on those who traffic “rainbow fentanyl” by making those who traffic such substances eligible for a life sentence and imposing a minimum 25 year sentence and a $1 million penalty and making it a first-degree felony to possess, sell, or manufacture fentanyl and other controlled substances that resemble candy.

House Bill 1297

DeSantis also signed House Bill 1297 into law which imposes the death penalty on pedophiles who “commit sexual battery against children under the age of 12,” the governor’s office said. The governor said that he is prepared to take the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court “to overrule judicial precedents which have unjustly shielded child rapists from the death penalty and denied victims and their loved ones the opportunity to pursue ultimate justice against these most heinous criminals.”

Last month, DeSantis signed a bill into law that drops the requirement for a death sentence to be handed out to a convicted criminal from a unanimous vote for jurors to only 8 out of 12 jurors.

In Florida, we believe it’s only appropriate that the worst of the worst crimes deserve the worst of the worst punishment. pic.twitter.com/pOg4UYe92m

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 1, 2023