Sanctuary of the South, Amnesty International USA and the ACLU of Florida have demanded urgent medical intervention for Andriy Shepitsen, a Ukrainian man detained at the Krome North Service Processing Center, who has been denied medical care for his severe bipolar disorder, major depression, and ADHD.
Florida carried out 19 executions in 2025, accounting for 40% of all executions nationwide, making the state the single driving force behind the increase, with the average age of those executed being 60 and many showing signs of serious mental illness, brain damage or severe childhood trauma.
Florida is moving forward with the execution of Mark Gerald on Dec. 5, 2025, despite major concerns about missing evidence, inadequate defense, and unaddressed mental health issues, highlighting the need for more thorough forensic analysis and investigation in capital punishment cases.
Richard Barry Randolph, a U.S. Army veteran, was executed in Florida for the 1988 murder of Minnie Ruth McCollum, sparking criticism from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) who argued that the state’s death penalty system is flawed and does not promote justice or healing.
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty condemned the execution of Bryan Jennings, a 66-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, arguing that the state acted out of political motivation rather than justice and that his case included constitutional violations.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed Florida’s SB 264 to remain in effect, which prohibits many Chinese nationals from buying property in the state, despite civil rights advocates’ claims that it echoes America’s history of discriminatory alien land laws.
Florida is leading a coalition of 15 state attorneys general urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to support executions for pedophiles, in defiance of the 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling that bars the death penalty for child rapists.
California’s housing growth over the past five years has been among the slowest in the country, contributing to the state’s ongoing affordability crisis, with the typical Californian paying $2,280 a month for housing, 70% above the national average.
The Trump administration has expanded the 287(g) program, turning local police into ICE agents and increasing deportations, while families and advocates nationwide are fighting back.
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman expressed regret for not commuting death sentences during his time in office, while warning that Florida’s current execution process is plagued by secrecy and racial bias.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the opening of a second immigration detention facility, dubbed “Deportation Depot,” at the Baker Correctional Institution to hold up to 2,000 detainees, while a federal judge considers the future of the state’s controversial holding center for immigrants at the Everglades airstrip known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence of Timothy W. Fletcher for the 2009 murder of Helen Googe, rejecting all nine arguments raised by Fletcher’s appellate team.
The US has carried out 25 executions this year, with 60% concentrated in Florida, Texas, and South Carolina, while new death sentences have dropped to near historic lows, reflecting a disconnect between political decisions and public sentiment.
Florida executed Tommy Gudinas for the 1994 murder of Michelle McGrath, marking the fastest pace of executions under any Florida governor since 1979, and advocates argue that the death penalty does not deliver healing or justice and prolongs pain.
The ACLU of Texas and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas plan to sue over unconstitutional parts of Senate Bill 12, which bans discussions of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation in Texas schools and bars teachers from supporting transgender students.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 1027 into law, which restricts citizens’ ability to initiate ballot measures and imposes a county-based vote weighting system that dilutes the influence of urban voters, while critics say it is an attack on direct democracy and the principle of “one person, one vote”.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1205 into law, restricting voter’s ability to place policy measures on the ballot and effectively ending the citizen-led ballot measure process.
132 US military veterans have signed a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis urging him to halt the execution of Jeffrey “Ranger” Hutchinson, a decorated Gulf War veteran suffering from severe combat-related brain injuries, arguing that his execution would be a miscarriage of justice and a national betrayal.
Attorneys for Jeffrey Hutchinson, a 62-year-old Gulf War veteran scheduled for execution on May 1, have filed an emergency motion in Bradford County Circuit Court seeking a stay, arguing that Hutchinson is mentally incompetent to be executed due to a complex set of mental health conditions.
Michael Tanzi, a man who suffered from severe childhood abuse and mental illness, was executed for the 2000 murder of Janet Acosta, with critics arguing that the death penalty is a form of vengeance rather than justice.