Florida has scheduled Michael Bell for execution on July 15, 2025 for the 1995 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith.

Join the Virtual Sit In

Call Gov. DeSantis at 850-717-9337 with the following message:

"Hi. My name is [your name]. I am calling because I am deeply concerned that the State of Florida has decided to move forward with the execution of Michael Bell. Michael's case never received a full federal review of his conviction and death sentence and raises serious concerns about racial bias, inadequate legal representation, and due process. It is incumbent upon Florida to halt all plans to carry out this execution so that these issues may be meaningfully reviewed."

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The following is presented in collaboration with our friends at Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

This is the eighth death warrant signed by Governor DeSantis in 2025. Michael Bell has been on Florida's death row since 1995. He is scheduled to be executed despite never receiving a full federal review of his conviction and death sentence. His case raises serious concerns about racial bias, inadequate legal representation, and due process.

Michael was just 23 years old and grieving the death of his brother when the crime occurred. At trial, the prosecution repeatedly used racially charged language, describing Michael as someone who lived by “the law of the jungle.” Shockingly, his own lawyer agreed—telling the mostly white jury that Michael “lived in a different world than ours.” These dehumanizing remarks were never challenged.

Michael sought federal review, but because of delays in getting him a lawyer, the court said he was too late. Now, the State of Florida is poised to execute its third person this year whose case has never been fully reviewed in federal court.

We cannot allow this execution to proceed without accountability. The Governor of Florida has the sole authority to stop this. Urge him to grant clemency for Michael Bell and prevent a grave injustice.

We believe in accountability, but true accountability does not require execution. A sentence of life without the possibility of parole protects society while also recognizing the human capacity for redemption and the role of childhood trauma in shaping adult behavior.

Florida does not need the death penalty to be safe. This execution will not make us safer, it will simply add another act of violence to an already tragic story. Justice does not require death. Florida's continued use of executions marks the state as an outlier in its use of the death penalty. The majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Board of Executive Clemency to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.