Sean Hannity and Ron DeSantis engage in a discussion during a televised event, highlighting key political topics against a scenic backdrop.

Sean Hannity and Ron DeSantis engage in a discussion during a televised event, highlighting key political topics against a scenic backdrop.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is fully committed to executing child rapists and has vowed to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

Speaking to Sean Hannity during a special broadcast from Mount Rushmore, DeSantis said that he believes the current Supreme Court justices will allow it.

“We believe in the death penalty for pedophiles,” DeSantis said.

“The Supreme Court said you couldn’t do that 10-15 years ago,” he continued. “We’re challenging it. I think this court would let us do it. And it’s an appropriate punishment for some of the worst criminals we have.”

WATCH:

DeSantis’ remarks come as Florida continues to enforce a law it passed in 2023 that makes sexual abuse of a child under 12 a capital offense eligible for the death penalty.

The governor signed the measure into law that year, directly defying a 2008 Supreme Court ruling in the Kennedy v. Louisiana case that had blocked states from imposing the death penalty for child rape when the victim did not die.

Florida prosecutors have already begun seeking the death penalty in qualifying cases.

In May, State Attorney Bill Gladson announced he is seeking the death penalty for 41-year-old Schubert Navarroza Macarat for ongoing long-term sexual abuse of a child under 12.

“This kind of criminal depravity demands only one response from the State. Today, I filed Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty in the event the defendant is found guilty,” Gladson said in a press release about the case. “We are seeking to prematurely end this defendant’s life because the crimes he committed are so heinous that no other punishment is fitting.”

The press release explained:

On March 22, 2026, in the early evening hours, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call for service regarding a past sexual offense. Upon arrival, law enforcement officers spoke with the caller, who reported that a child had just disclosed long-term, ongoing sexual abuse.

During a forensic interview with the child, the child confirmed the abuse. Additional information was also obtained, leading to the collection of more evidence. Detectives recovered a 4-terabyte hard drive with at least 3,000 videos – 700 of which have been confirmed to be child sexual abuse material.

A grand jury was convened yesterday to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to charge Macarat. The grand jury returned a true bill of indictment for a total of 47 separate felonies, including 12 counts of Sexual Battery upon a Child less than 12 years of age.

DeSantis has not backed down from the legal fight. He has repeatedly argued that the earlier precedent was wrongly decided and that states should have the power to impose the harshest punishment on the worst offenders.

Florida has also taken additional steps to strengthen its overall approach to child predators, including expanding aggravating factors for capital cases and lowering the jury threshold required for a death sentence.

In 2025, the state led a group of 15 attorneys general in urging support for executions in these cases and calling on the courts to reconsider the old restrictions.

The post WATCH: DeSantis Confirms Florida Will Execute Child Rapists and Take the Fight All the Way to the Supreme Court appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.