Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of bills this week aimed at cracking down on crime and combating the left’s ideological rampage through America’s corporate sector.
On Monday, the Republican governor signed into law a measure (HB 1297) allowing capital punishment for individuals convicted of sexual battery against minors under the age of 12. According to The Daily Caller, the legislation directly challenges the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in the 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana, which “prohibited the death penalty in such cases when the victim survived.”
“We think that in the worst of the worst cases, the only appropriate punishment is the ultimate punishment, and so this bill sets up a procedure to be able to challenge that precedent,” DeSantis said. The signing of HB 1297 was part of a press conference focused on Florida’s “anti-crime, pro-public safety” legislation.
During the Monday event, DeSantis also signed HB 1627 and HB 1359. While the former would strengthen Florida’s bail laws and protect Floridians from bail reforms favored by soft-on-crime, leftist prosecutors, the latter would enhance punishments for individuals caught trafficking fentanyl that looks like candy. According to a press release from DeSantis’s office, “those who traffic such substances [become] eligible for a life sentence” and could face “a minimum 25 year sentence and a $1 million penalty.”
In addition to cracking down on crime, DeSantis is also confronting the left’s efforts to advance so-called environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. On Tuesday, the Florida Republican signed HB 3, which,
