From the Tampa Bay Times:
Gov. Rick Scott speeding up Florida inmate execution process
by Steve Bosquet
Tampa Bay Times
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott has accelerated the pace of signing death warrants in Florida by lining up three executions over the next few weeks, the most in such a brief period of time in more than two decades.
Scott and his chief legal adviser say they are doing nothing unusual. But legal experts who oppose the death penalty wonder whether other factors are at work — such as Scott's desire to improve his standing with voters as he seeks re-election next year.
Not since 1989, when an unpopular Gov. Bob Martinez set a record by signing six death warrants in a single day, has a Florida governor been so eager to use the death penalty.
"In the past, governors wouldn't do multiple warrants at a time. It was a much more orderly process than this," said Martin McClain, a lawyer who has defended many Florida death row inmates. "It appears that every 10 days, Gov. Scott is signing a death warrant."
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