For years, Democratic lawmakers have tried and failed to repeal Florida's death penalty, with the Legislature's majority Republicans arguing the punishment is an effective deterrent.
As the 2015 legislative session approaches, however, Democrats are rolling out a new strategy: A new bill by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, that would require the state to disclose the names of the executioners in charge of administering lethal injections to death row inmates.
Under a long-standing state law, executioners' identities are kept secret, even though they carry out the most solemn of responsibilities.
Supporters of the bill, HB 4003, say it could ultimately mobilize an outpouring of public opposition to the death penalty, because the state's executioners are presumed to be amateurs who aren't required to be doctors or nurses.
In one highly scrutinized case, an executioner had to give an inmate an extra injection when he continued to move and mouth words after the first dose.
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