This story was last posted on: 10:36 p.m., Thursday, March 16, 2017.

In the wake of Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala's announcement that she won't seek the death penalty in capital cases, Republican state lawmakers are weighing legislative options to block prosecutors from seeking anything less than the ultimate punishment.

"I have reached out to the members of the Florida Legislature and our staff about the possibility of drafting legislation to ensure our laws our followed," FL Rep. Bob Cortes (R-Altamonte Springs) told reporters Thursday. "I am also seeking whether this is a possible violation of the public integrity of our state attorney."

The discussions come just days after Gov. Rick Scott approved a death penalty sentencing reform bill prompted by a recent Florida Supreme Court decision striking down the state's previous process. The legislation was a top priority for the legislature's Republican leaders, who have been eager to clear the way for capital sentencing trials to resume.

That measure, however, didn't contemplate what should happen if prosecutors choose not to seek the death penalty. Death penalty supporters and critics were divided Thursday over whether Florida's sentencing statutes compel state attorneys, who are independently-elected constitutional officers, to abide by the spirit of Tallahassee's embrace of the sentence in capital cases.

"We have set strict guidelines in the legislature what they should follow to make that prosecutorial decision, and she has not made it just this case," Cortes said. "In any death cases coming forward, she said that she would not even consider trying them, and it goes against the spirit of the law that we set forward."

Some Republicans were less resolute about drafting legislation, calling instead for more forceful action by Scott, who by late Thursday had used his constitutional authority to remove Ayala from the Markeith Loyd murder case. Removing Ayala from every capital case in her jurisdiction, they suggested, should also be considered by the governor.

"I'm more concerned with the immediate situation of trying to convince the governor what his options are and to get him to act," said Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater). "I think he's the first line on this, and I think we'll see him do something."