FL S0772

Death penalty recommendations must be made by unanimous jury vote for offenses committed on or after October 1, 2012, applying to both capital felonies and capital drug-trafficking felonies.

Courts must instruct juries that aggravating circumstances must outweigh mitigating circumstances and that each aggravating circumstance must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt by unanimous vote.

Courts must provide special verdict forms documenting each aggravating circumstance found by the jury.

Removes requirement that court recommendations only needed majority jury support, changing the standard to unanimity for death sentence recommendations.

Effective date is October 1, 2012.