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What's behind this year's spike in death row executions after years of decline
Florida set a new record with 18 executions in 2025, doubling its previous high and contributing to nearly twice as many nationwide as last year, officials said.
- This year, Florida's Governor of Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, doubled the previous annual record of eight executions by issuing 18 death warrants.
- Cornell professor John Blume said executions resumed after legal pauses and backlogs were cleared, with Florida among two states where governors have singular scheduling authority for death warrants.
- Across the country, there will be almost twice as many executions this year compared to last year if all proceed, and South Carolina carried out firing squad executions on March 7, April 11 and Nov. 14.
- Advocates warn that executions drain money, time and legal resources, while prolonged deaths linked to nitrogen gas renew concerns about execution methods.
- It is too soon to tell if execution numbers will remain high in 2026; 12 executions are already scheduled, while many this year stem from decades-old sentences.
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