With Gov. Ron DeSantis closing in on the end of his second and final term, Florida is looked upon by the serious-minded as the example of how a state should run.
One such example is that the nation’s third-largest state executed two death-row inmates on the same day this week — the first double execution since 1964. James Duckett and Dominick Occhicone were put to death within five hours of each other Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke.
As seen in the post below, Duckett, a former Florida cop, was executed after he kidnapped an 11-year-old girl from a store, raping her before strangling her.
Duckett declined to say any last words before he was executed by lethal injection, but the girl’s mother said, “I’ve been waiting 40 years to have him dead.”
Occhicone was 80 years old when he was executed this week for murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986, blaming them for the couple breaking up — he shot the father in the face and shot the mother multiple times. He is the second-oldest inmate executed in the United States and the oldest inmate ever executed in Florida.
NEW: Florida has carried out a double execution for the first time in 60 years.
Former Florida cop James Duckett has been executed after he r*ped and killed an 11-year-old girl.
Prosecutors say Duckett kidnapped 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee from a store where she was buying a… pic.twitter.com/aXsWFrt7DG
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 29, 2026
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Gov. DeSantis has accelerated the state’s execution pace, saying he wants to give closure to victims’ families who have waited for justice for decades.
“There’s a saying: Justice delayed is justice denied,” DeSantis said. “We’re doing it to be able to bring justice to the victims’ families.”
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
Florida is leading the way this nation should be run!
— Shore Grandma (@DeborahReiter6) July 30, 2026
Something is horribly wrong with the system when a convicted murderer is allowed to continue breathing for 40 years after being convicted. Bravo Mr. Governor.
— Betty Crocker (@BettysNoCrock) July 29, 2026
The moderate position is to speed this process up
— Patrick Hatten (@TheDeuce) July 29, 2026
Cool, but 40 years of taking care of a corrupt cop child rapist is 40 years too many.
Even allowing for appeals, cases with the death penalty in play should go to the front of the queue, and be handled within a few weeks.
Also, bring back the gallows or executioner’s axe.
— Rebourn (@Rebourn) July 30, 2026
Imagine the family of the murdered girl is already dead and couldn’t witness the execution of their daughter’s murderer. 40 years is like granting them more life to live almost before dying of old age. Terrible joke of a justice.
— Chama (@greenszzn) July 30, 2026
These monsters should be executed swiftly. It shouldn’t be drug out so the family & survivors have to suffer.
Not only that, taxpayers shouldn’t have to support these monsters for decades.— Rusty Nail (@TheHomicidalElf) July 29, 2026
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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