For Florida Gov. Rick Scott, enforcing the death penalty is a tough part of the job

Gov. Rick Scott

When Rick Scott was running for governor last year, he never fully contemplated one of the gravest responsibilities he would face if elected.

Signing a death warrant.

Florida ranks second only to California in the number of inmates on death row, with 398. One of them is Manuel Valle, 61, who has spent nearly half his life wearing the bright orange shirts that clearly distinguished the condemned men from all others at Florida State Prison in Starke.

Scott spoke at length this week about his decision to sign his first death warrant, setting Valle's execution at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Scott will be in his office in the Capitol when Valle is injected with a lethal dose of chemicals.

"For me, it's very rough. I've never done anything like that," Scott said.

Scott was raised a Methodist, and the United Methodist Church is strongly opposed to capital punishment.

On its website, the church says it "cannot accept retribution or social vengeance as a reason for taking human life. It violated our deepest belief in God as the Creator and Redeemer of humankind."

Asked about that, Scott said: "While I don't like this part of the job, it's part of the job of governor. I agreed to uphold the law of the land. It's not something that I like doing, but it's the law of the land."

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Source: tampabay.com, July 16, 2011

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