(Daily Wire) Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new package of crime bills into law on Monday, all of which are designed to keep criminals out of the streets.
The three bills target bail reforms being pushed by leftist prosecutors, increases penalties on fentanyl traffickers, and makes those who commit certain crimes against children eligible for the death penalty.
“Florida is a law-and-order state with a 50-year record low crime rate and double-digit year-over-year decreases in murder, burglary, and overall crime,” DeSantis said in a statement. “For three consecutive legislative sessions we have enacted tough-on-crime policies, and this year we are continuing to implement measures to protect our communities and keep Florida safe, with a particular emphasis on keeping criminals in jail and throwing the book at pedophiles.”
House Bill 1627 addresses “bail reforms” through a variety of actions, including requiring the Florida Supreme Court to develop a uniform statewide bond schedule by the end of the year.
The bill prohibits judges from setting a lower bond amount than the uniform state bond, prohibits a defendant from being released prior to their first appearance in court if they have been arrested for a violent or heinous crime, and adds a series of crimes to the state’s list of “dangerous crimes.”
House Bill 1359 increases criminal penalties on those who traffic “rainbow fentanyl” by making those who traffic such substances eligible for a life sentence and imposing a minimum 25 year sentence and a $1 million penalty and making it a first-degree felony to possess, sell, or manufacture fentanyl and other controlled substances that resemble candy.
DeSantis also signed House Bill 1297 into law which imposes the death penalty on pedophiles who “commit sexual battery against children under the age of 12,” the governor’s office said.
The governor said that he is prepared to take the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court “to overrule judicial precedents which have unjustly shielded child rapists from the death penalty and denied victims and their loved ones the opportunity to pursue ultimate justice against these most heinous criminals.”
