TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate late Tuesday passed a bill that would allow the death penalty for people who sexually assault children under age 12, sending the issue to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Lawmakers hope the bill (HB 1297) will ultimately lead to the U.S. Supreme Court reversing a 2008 decision that barred the death penalty for people who rape children. The House voted 95-14 last week to approve the bill, which DeSantis is expected to sign.
Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, a Davie Democrat who was sexually abused as a child, implored senators to vote for the bill. She said people who sexually abuse children are “called predators for a reason, because they stalk and hunt down their prey.”
“There is no statute of limitations on this crime (for victims),” Book said. “There is no end. It’s always with you.”
The Senate voted 34-5 to pass the bill, with the dissenting votes cast by Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton; Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami; Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach; Sen. Rosalind Osgood, D-Fort Lauderdale; and Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere.
