![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/capital-punishment-1598x900-1.jpg?resize=318%2C179&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nOther measures taking effect could lead to putting local governments on the hook for attorney fees when ordinances are deemed \u201carbitrary or unreasonable;\u201d increase penalties on fans who interfere with sporting events, and require teens to at least have learner\u2019s permits to drive golf carts on public roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The laws passed during the legislative session that ended May 5. Most legislation, including a record $117 billion state budget, went into effect on July 1, the start of the fiscal year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most controversial of the laws taking effect Sunday would allow the death penalty for people who commit sexual battery on children under age 12. The measure (HB 1297) likely will draw legal challenges, as U.S. Supreme Court and Florida Supreme Court precedents have barred death sentences for rapists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a May 1 bill-signing event in Brevard County, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the measure is \u201cfor the protection of children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, in our society, we have very heinous sex crimes that are committed against children under the age of 12 years old,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cThese are really the worst of the worst. The perpetrators of these crimes are often serial offenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judges would have the discretion to impose the death penalty or sentence defendants to life in prison. If fewer than eight jurors recommend death, judges would have to impose life sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bill would affect what is known as the sentencing phase of cases. Juries would still need to unanimously find defendants guilty of the crimes before the sentencing phase would begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The measure was approved 34-5 in the Senate and 95-14 in the House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In voting against the measure in April, Sen. Rosalind Osgood, D-Fort Lauderdale, said the bill presented her with a \u201cquandary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love kids, and I\u2019ll do anything to protect them,\u201d Osgood said. \u201cBut I struggle from a faith perspective. If I believe in my faith that God can redeem and save anybody, then how do I support someone getting the death penalty? And I\u2019m just talking about me. That\u2019s my struggle. That\u2019s my challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other laws that will take effect Sunday include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n — SB 170, which could boost legal challenges to local ordinances. In part, the law requires local governments to suspend enforcement of ordinances while lawsuits play out and makes plaintiffs eligible for up to $50,000 in attorney fees if a court finds ordinances are \u201carbitrary or unreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 319, which sets a maximum fine of $2,500 for interfering with participants in athletic or artistic events or going onto fields or stages without authorization. Also, in the age of social media, the law prohibits people from making money off such exploits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 431, which makes it a third-degree felony for a person age 24 and older to solicit a 16- or 17-year-old in writing to commit a lewd or lascivious act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 949, which requires a learner\u2019s permit or driver\u2019s license for anyone under age 18 to operate a golf cart on a public road. Currently, golf-cart operators must be at least 14 years old when on public roads designated for golf-cart use, but driver\u2019s licenses are not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 1359, which increases penalties for fentanyl dealers and manufacturers. That includes imposing mandatory minimum 25-year sentences and $1 million fines for adults selling at least four grams of fentanyl to minors through such things as products that resemble candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 1465, which includes boosting potential sentences for people who possess or discharge guns while involved in human trafficking. Such people will be subject to the state\u2019s \u201c10-20-Life\u201d mandatory-minimum sentencing law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n — HB 1367, which expands a litter law to prohibit dumping litter at water-control district properties or canal rights-of-ways unless given approval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Jim Turner – The News Service of Florida A new law that could lead to imposing the death penalty on people who rape children under age 12 will take… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[6097],"class_list":["post-36326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-death-penalty-in-child-rapes-to-take-effect"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}