The man convicted of killing a 15-year-old Tampa girl 25 years ago is
scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening. Florida averages just over 2 executions a year at a cost estimated to be 50 million dollars. The expense has some questioning whether the death penalty is still cost effective.

Wayne Tompkins has spent 25 years fighting his death sentence. Now on his 3rd death warrant, the convicted killer has been in court at least 2 dozen times, including three trips to the US Supreme Court.

Shelia Hopkins of the Florida Catholic Conference says the death penalty is costing Florida 50 million dollars a year, mostly in legal and court costs.

“They have found that, again, it’s below 50 percent, those who support
it once they’ve realized that life in prison without the possibility of
parole is a possibility.”

Last week the Florida Supreme Court heard nine cases. Eight of them
involved the death penalty.

The state Supreme Court is estimated to spend 60 percent of its 10
million dollar budget on death cases. Add to that the lawyers on both
sides, .all of it paid for by taxpayers.

As lobbyists, like Vern Crawford a Palm Beach schools lobbyist, walk the Capitol hallways looking for money, one suggests the 50 million would pay for 830 teachers.

“That translates, if you want to get down without the support personnel, probably to something in the neighborhood of about 30 to 32 elementary students and 5 honors students each.”

But the death penalty is an emotional issue. Senator Victor Crist calls
the idea of ending the ultimate penalty “ridiculous”.

“The death penalty is not about the price tag, it’s about paying the
ultimate price for the ultimate crime that is committed.”

Florida has 391 people on Death Row. The cost of housing an inmate is 72 dollars a day...or about 1 point 3 million for 50 years.