Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican Governor, is taking a hard stance on crime. He believes that raising the minimum penalty for particularly repugnant crimes, such as child rape, is necessary to protect Floridians. His administration hopes to make this anti-crime legislation a reality during this legislative session.
DeSantis recently visited Philadelphia and noted the high murder rate is due to their policies of going “soft on crime” and giving criminals the upper hand. In contrast, he pointed out that overall crime in Florida has dropped nearly 10% year over year – with murder down 14%, burglary down 15%, and robbery down, 7%.
To further reduce crime rates in the Sunshine State, DeSantis has proposed several reforms. These include harsher penalties for those dealing fentanyl and tougher sentences for sex criminals like those attempting sexual battery or other acts of misconduct. Additionally, he wants to reinstate capital punishment for some of these crimes and reduce the number of jurors needed for a death sentence from unanimous consent to a supermajority.
It’s clear that Governor DeSantis takes public safety seriously and his proposals are meant to keep Florida safe from violent offenders who commit heinous crimes against children or others. He hopes that this anti-crime legislation will help cement Florida’s reputation as a “law and order” state while also protecting its citizens from criminal activity.
“And so we have a legislative session coming up, and we want to make sure that we cement our reputation as being a law and order state and take actions as necessary to help further protect the people of the state of Florida,” he said, detailing some of the reforms proposed.
In Florida, we are taking steps to preserve law & order by enhancing accountability for criminals, combatting human smuggling and protecting Floridians from fentanyl. pic.twitter.com/PynRY1dRc0
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 26, 2023
