Florida's Execution Record: A Look at the Numbers

Florida has been busy with executions this year. As of now, they've carried out 10 in 2025 alone. That's a new record for the state. The latest was Kayle Bates, a 67-year-old man who was put to death for a crime he committed back in 1982. He was convicted of kidnapping and killing a woman from an insurance office in the Florida Panhandle. Bates didn't have much to say before his execution. When asked if he had any final words, he simply said "no. " He didn't even ask for a last meal or a spiritual adviser. His family visited him early that morning, but that was it. The state uses a three-drug cocktail for executions: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart. Florida isn't the only state with executions this year. Texas and South Carolina have each executed four people so far in 2025. But Florida is leading the pack. The governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed at least 20 execution warrants since taking office in 2019. He hasn't held a single clemency hearing for any of the prisoners on death row. Bates' attorneys tried to appeal his sentence, but they didn't have much luck. They argued that evidence of organic brain damage wasn't properly considered during his trial. But the courts didn't buy it. The Florida Supreme Court said Bates had enough time to raise these claims over the past three decades. There are still more executions planned in Florida. Curtis Windom is set to be the 11th person executed in the state this year on August 28. He was convicted of killing three people in the Orlando area back in 1992. And David Pittman could be the 12th if his execution goes as scheduled on September 17. He was found guilty of fatally stabbing his estranged wife's sister and parents before setting their home on fire in 1990. Florida has the second-largest number of death-row inmates in the country, with 278 as of April 1. Only California has more, with 585. But with the rate Florida is going, that could change. It's important to remember that the death penalty is a serious matter. It's not just about the numbers. It's about real people and real lives.