Florida set a modern record for executions in 2025 and kept pace in 2026

In short: Florida sharply increased executions in 2025 and has continued at a fast pace in early 2026.

What's going on

Florida executed 19 prisoners in 2025. That was the highest number in the state’s modern history and the most of any state in the US that year. It also topped Florida’s prior post-1976 record of 8 executions in 2014, and even the state’s all-time record of 11 in 1942.

The pace has continued into 2026. Florida carried out its first execution of the year on February 10, when Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Raiford. Heath had been on death row for about 35 years after convictions tied to murders in 1989 and 1991.

Soon after, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed death warrants for two more executions. Melvin Trotter is scheduled for February 24 for a 1987 murder, and Billy Leon Kearse is scheduled for March 3 for the 1991 killing of a police officer. As of early 2026, Florida had carried out 5 executions that year, with more planned nationwide.

The New York Times reported no clear evidence directly linking Florida’s surge to statements by President Trump. Coverage instead points to DeSantis signing multiple death warrants and changes in state law that allow a death sentence recommendation even if the jury is not unanimous, for example, 8 of 12 jurors.

What to watch

Supporters, including some victims’ families, say the executions bring justice after long appeals. Opponents point to Florida’s 30 death row exonerations since 1973 and argue that speed can increase the risk of executing an innocent person. A key question is whether Florida keeps issuing death warrants at this rate, even as the average time on death row is about 22 years.

Source: NYTimes