The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) has requested that Gov. Ron DeSantis stay the July 15 scheduled execution of Michael Bell and commute his sentence to life imprisonment without parole.

Archbishop Wenski of Miami, president of the FCCB, and Bishop Dewane of Venice have issued statements on the new detention facility in the Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." The detention facility is located on the border of the Archdiocese of Miami and the Diocese of Venice.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an eighth death warrant since the start of 2025. If the state puts Michael Bell to death by lethal injection on July 15 and carries out the scheduled June 24 execution of Thomas Gudinas, it would match the most executions in a year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 by a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. Florida also executed eight inmates in 1984 and 2014.