© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Scott Quickly Gets Marriage, Death-Penalty Bills

Gov. Rick Scott speaks during the Associated Press legislative planning session in Tallahassee on Oct. 14
AP photo
Gov. Rick Scott speaks during the Associated Press legislative planning session in Tallahassee on Oct. 14

Legislative leaders sent more than two-dozen bills to Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday, including quickly sending a bill that would revamp death-penalty sentencing and a controversial bill known as the "Pastor Protection Act."

The Senate gave final approval Thursday to the death-penalty bill (HB 7101), which stems from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that found the current death-penalty sentencing system is unconstitutional.

Also Thursday, the Senate gave final approval to the "Pastor Protection" measure (HB 43), which is aimed at protecting clergy members who object to performing wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples.

Scott will have seven days to sign, veto or allow the bills to become law without his signature.

Among other bills sent to Scott on Thursday was a measure (SB 310) that would replace the statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith at the National Statuary Hall in Washington. Each state is allowed two statues in the hall, with Florida represented by Smith and John Gorrie, widely viewed as the father of air conditioning. Under the bill, a committee would recommend three prominent Floridians as potential replacements for Smith, and the Legislature would pick one whose statue would be placed in the hall.

Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit .

News Service of Florida
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Gray Catbirds are in a bird family known as the “Mimidae” – because they mimic other birds, other animals, and even mechanical sounds. Other members of their family in Florida include the Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird – two excellent mimics that we often see and hear year-round as they feed, sing, and nest in relatively open vegetation. They often mimic the vocalizations of other bird species and it has been suggested that their mimicry may send the message that the area is crowded – and cause other birds to search for food elsewhere.
  • President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, affecting 42 million Americans who rely on the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand follows warnings from over two dozen states about potential "catastrophic operational disruptions" if they aren't reimbursed for benefits authorized before the stay. Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general had sued to maintain the program, winning favorable rulings last week. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits for 700,000 residents but now faces financial strain.
  • Traffic will shift to the new Big Carlos Pass bridge overnight Thursday, Nov. 13.