The Florida Legislature is at it again: after passing a bill several weeks ago that created a mandatory death sentence for undocumented immigrants found guilty of serious crimes, members of the Florida House and Senate are now sponsoring bills to expand the death penalty further.
Two of these bills seek to add “aggravating factors” for capital felonies to Florida’s existing list. These factors also known as “aggravators” are like a list of criteria used to determine whether a particular defendant in court is eligible to receive a death sentence. In general, expanding the list makes it easier for the state to use the death penalty.
This Thursday, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will considerone of these bills: HB 693. This bill to make it easier to apply death sentences to people who have been found guilty of murder where people were gathered for school, religious, or public government activities. Learn more about the bill here and in FADP’s action, here.
Florida has made more mistakes with death sentences than any other state. We have just under 300 people on death row right now, and 30 people who have been sentenced to death and then later proven innocent—more than any other state. It is arguably already very easy to get a death sentence in Florida. Additionally, what this aggravator seeks to do is already covered in Florida’s existing death penalty scheme.
Floridians have been very vocal about the issues on their minds, lately, and we doubt that these legislators have been listening.
Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks on this bill and the others being sponsored in this year’s legislative session. When we are many, we can be strong. Let’s send our message together.
As legislators convene for the 2025 legislative session, FADP will be doing everything we can to show legislators that the death penalty is not justice, and Floridians aren’t interested in it. Help us do more by sharing your donation with us! Click here to donate. Thank you!