Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla) proposed raising the minimum punishment for several crimes, as he hopes to make his “anti-crime” legislation come to life.
DeSantis announced that he wants to make child rapists eligible for life in prison and require them to serve a minimum sentence with no possibility for parole following their heinous actions.
“And so we have a legislative session coming up, and we want to make sure that we cement our reputation as being a law and order state and take actions as necessary to help further protect the people of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said during a press conference.
The Florida governor also proposed tightening up the punishments for sex criminals by “expanding the list of crimes ineligible for gain time by adding all inchoate offenses (attempted crimes) of sexual misconduct, such as an attempted sexual battery.”
DeSantis is aiming to lower the crime rate, making it one of the safest states in the U.S., which is already at a 50-year low.
“Overall crime [is] down nearly 10 percent year over year, murder down 14 percent, burglary down 15 percent, and robbery down 7 percent year over year,” DeSantis said.
The governor pointed out that Philadelphia’s murder rate is reaching “levels they haven’t seen in decades,” vowing to not let Florida follow in its footsteps.
He criticized soft-on-crime policies made by progressive leaders who have no problem putting their residents in harm's way.
“Retail theft, all kinds of burglaries, all this stuff, and that’s a direct result of the policies that they have embraced to go very soft on crime and to give the criminals the upper hand,” he added.
DeSantis has already paved the way for less crime in his state. Recently he increased penalties for drug dealers distributing fentanyl and holding his ground against woke prosecutors, saying that he wants to take further action in protecting the state of Florida.
“And so we have a legislative session coming up, and we want to make sure that we cement our reputation as being a law and order state and take actions as necessary,” DeSantis said.