Florida’s threshold for the death penalty could soon be the lowest in the nation, with the Florida Senate on Thursday passing a priority bill of Gov. Ron DeSantis to require the vote of only eight jurors out of 12 in order to implement capital punishment.
Unlike the earliest provisions of the bill, the legislation passed by the Florida Senate does not allow a judge to override a jury’s recommendation for a life sentence and give death instead.
If a jury recommends a life sentence, a judge must impose it. If a jury recommends death, the judge can agree or can order a life sentence instead.
