death penalty

TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Legislature sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a severe new bill on Wednesday allowing Florida prosecutors to sentence human traffickers to death if they've exploited a young child or someone with mental disabilities. DeSantis already pledged at a press conference last week to sign the bill, SB 1804, into law. The measure, which takes effect […]

DeSantis Arranges Rescue Flights for Jewish-Americans Sheltering in Cyprus Gov. Ron DeSantis arranged for four planes to evacuate to Tampa 1,500 young Jewish-Americans taking shelter in Cyprus, prompted by the burgeoning—and bloodying—six-day airstrike...READ MORE   Rep. Randy Fine: "A local reporter just asked what I would say to foreign students afraid of returning to Florida Universities. I say […]

TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the eighth death warrant of 2025, tying the Florida record for most executions carried out in a year if all goes according to plan. DeSantis set Michael Bernard Bell's execution date for July 15, just weeks after rapist and murderer Thomas Gudinas is set to die on June 24. DeSantis quietly […]

In the early morning hours of May 24, 1994, Rachelle Smith walked out of Orlando's Barbarella nightclub and headed toward her car, parked in a nearby lot. 20-year-old Thomas Lee Gudinas was watching. Waiting. Hiding. The Massachusetts native was crouched behind another car as Smith passed him around 1 a.m., causing the young woman—whose fiancé […]

DeSantis Approves Law Allowing Gold, Silver as Legal Tender Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday approved a new law allowing Floridians to use gold and silver in certain transactions. The DeSantis-backed measure, HB 999, recognizes gold and silver coins...READ MORE     Rep. Greg Steube: "The @UF Board of Trustees has made a grave mistake. Today, Dr. Ono gave […]

TALLAHASSEE—Florida can use new death penalty methods in inmate executions. Gov. Ron DeSantis broke his personal record for most death warrants signed in a year. And the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to execute a man who brutally murdered his young nephews. Thursday and Friday of last week were rife with pro-death […]

DeSantis Backs Uthmeier's Refusal to Defend Parkland-Era Gun Limits: 'Good Faith Position' As the Supreme Court edges closer to a Florida war over rifle restrictions—a fight that state Attorney General James Uthmeier has preemptively refused to fight—Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday defended...READ MORE     Sen. Rick Scott: "Today, we recognize the incredible history and culture of Cuban […]

Gov. Ron DeSantis has just six days left to sign a controversial new bill allowing Florida to use more—or create new—execution methods for the state's worst offenders. If he doesn't, the bill will die on May 26, exactly one week after the legislature sent him HB 903. Sponsored by Republicans Rep. Berny Jacques and Sen. […]

Lawmakers Celebrate Selection of First American Pope US lawmakers are celebrating the election of U.S.-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to lead the Catholic Church as its 267th Pope. Pope Leo XIV, as Cardinal Prevost will henceforth be called, was born...READ MORE   Rep. Carlos Gimenez: "I am so proud to represent @FIU in our nation’s […]

TALLAHASSEE—Serial killer Glen Rogers, set to die next week, is claiming that Florida can't execute him using the state's default method, lethal injection, because his rare blood disorder would cause "needless pain and suffering." But that's not the state's only option. The Florida Legislature passed a sweeping bill last week allowing death row inmates to […]

A death row inmate convicted of killing and raping an 8-year-old before murdering her grandmother in 1993 is asking Florida not to execute him on March 20, citing his "mental decline." The attorney for Edward James, 63, argued in a stay of execution filed Wednesday that executing the Seminole County man would be a violation […]

Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) recently filed a bill to tackle human sex trafficking in the state by imposing stricter penalties, particularly against those involving children and those with mental deficiencies. Under Jonathan Martin's bill, SB 1804, an individual who knowingly engages in human trafficking by use of physical force on a child less than […]

The Florida Senate's leading pro-life advocate, Erin Grall, refiled a controversial bill on Wednesday that would expand the state's wrongful death statute to include fetuses, despite her claim last year that there was still "work to be done" before it could pass. Only—this bill is identical to last year's, which was killed before its final […]

Two Florida lawmakers filed bills that would seek the death penalty for crimes committed against the President of the United States and other heads of state. The proposals were filed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) and Rep. Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill) on Monday. Blaise Ingolia referred to the attempted assignation attempt on then-former President […]

TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a package of anti-illegal immigration measures Thursday, closing out the third special session of the year and slamming the door on a bout of ferocious infighting between him and GOP legislative leaders. The package, which includes two stringent bills and a resolution urging federal assistance, is a compromise between DeSantis and […]

TALLAHASSEE— The feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Speaker Daniel Perez over illegal immigration continues, as both men are standing firm by their respective legislative bills and proposals. During a recent interview with The Floridian, Speaker Perez pushed back on the DeSantis administration’s assertion that his illegal immigration reform bill promoted “amnesty,” adding that did […]

Florida Senator Blaise Ingoglia, the sponsor of eight anti-illegal immigration bills crafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and killed by GOP leaders, worries the Legislature's TRUMP Act leaves the door open for "abuse" of the immigration system. Ingoglia, a DeSantis ally and rumored appointee to Chief Financial Officer, referred to a sweeping, 84-page anti-illegal immigration bill, […]

TALLAHASSEE—As Gov. Ron DeSantis accuses the GOP Legislature of touting a "toothless" immigration bill, House Speaker Danny Perez, a Republican leading the pushback on the governor, argues that DeSantis's proposals are weaker than the Legislature's. Perez's comments to The Floridian come amid a deepening divide within Florida Republicans over the TRUMP Act, an anti-illegal immigration bill that […]