This year, The State of Florida has done something it has never done before, leading the nation in executions. Already in 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrants for 15 death row inmates who committed crimes that he called, “the worst of the worst”.

That is the highest number of state executions since the death penalty was reinstituted by the US Supreme Court in 1976.This has been a continuing trend for The Sunshine State, which in 2023 passes legislation that allowed eight of twelve jurors to pass a death sentence, instead of a unanimous decision.

Despite Florida’s surge in capital punishment, public sentiment has begun to simmer in recent years, with more Floridians preferring life in prison. Robin Maher, The Executive Director of The Death Penalty Information Center, joined us to talk about Florida’s record-breaking year and the public opinion on the Death Penalty.

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