Gov. Scott signs unanimous jury bill governor
Gov. Scott signs unanimous jury bill governor
Senior Editor
With the goal of making Florida’s death penalty law constitutional, in the session’s first week both the Senate and House passed a bill that will require unanimous jury verdicts in the penalty phase of murder trials, and Gov. Rick Scott quickly signed it into law.
“Gov. Scott’s foremost concern is always for the victims and their loved ones. He hopes this legislation will allow families of these horrific crimes to get the closure they deserve,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in a statement on March 13.
On March 9, the Senate unanimously passed SB 280, sponsored by Senate Criminal Justice Chair Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando.
The following day, the House voted 112-3 to pass SB 280, substituted for HB 527, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Clearwater, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.
Casting one of the trio of “no” votes, Rep. Joseph Geller, D-Dania Beach, an attorney, said: “This bill leads to a better outcome than our current law. Our current law has been found unconstitutional. And so it is tempting to vote for this, because at least requiring unanimity is better than what we have.”
But Geller said he was voting against the bill because he opposes the death penalty.
“I don’t think it’s a deterrent. I don’t think it stops people. I don’t believe in it because it’s not equitably applied, and most especially it has to do with the quality of defense attorneys that people can afford. But most importantly, I don’t believe in it because I think it is morally and ethically wrong for the State to take lives,” Geller said. He said he was asked by the Council of Catholic Bishops to file a bill to repeal the death penalty, and he agreed to do so.
Sprowls briefly ran through the 2016 U.S. Supreme Court and Florida Supreme Court decisions that put Florida’s death penalty sentencing scheme in limbo for more than a year and said voting “yes” will “allow cases to move forward and for victims and their families to have access to justice.”
