Lawmakers move ahead with death penalty bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Senate is moving ahead with a compromise bill to overhaul the state's death penalty law.
A Senate committee voted Thursday to approve a death penalty bill that would require at least 10 out of 12 jurors to recommend execution in order for it to be carried out.
The Senate originally wanted to require that all 12 jurors agree to a death sentence. But senators agreed to switch to 10 jurors as part of a compromise with the House. The bill (SB 7068) heads to the full Senate next. The House has already passed its version.
Some senators said they were opposed to the jury change and predicted Florida's death penalty law could come under scrutiny again.
The Legislature is rewriting the death penalty law after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the current method is unconstitutional.