Gov. Ron DeSantis in his final two years in office has turned Florida into the death penalty capital of the developed world. Since securing their party’s nominations, neither man running to replace him this fall has discussed in detail whether they would keep that distinction.

The death penalty is a topic DeSantis has forced into the minds of voters as he spent his last two years in office rapidly accelerating Florida’s use of its death chambers and overseeing the most executions of any modern-era Florida governor. He’s overseen 18 executions this year, with a 19th and 20th scheduled for early and mid-November, already beating last year’s total, which was a record in Florida’s modern history. 

DeSantis also set a morbid milestone when he oversaw the execution of two men in a single day in July. It was the first time a double execution occurred in 60 years. On policy, he signed a bill in 2022 that exempts the Florida Department of Corrections from having to disclose the names of companies that provide lethal injection drugs or the person administering them, further cloaking an already secretive process. 

Should they take the governor’s office, the death penalty will be an unavoidable topic for David Jolly and Byron Donalds: The power to sign death warrants lies solely with the governor.

Florida is one of two states that give governors power to decide when and whose death warrant to sign. There is no court scheduling or public explanation for the timing or the name chosen. The governor does not have to provide a reason as to why they chose a certain time. The other state, Pennsylvania, hasn’t executed a prisoner in nearly 30 years.

Byron Donalds

When asked by The Florida Trib to discuss his views with a reporter, Donalds’s campaign sent a statement that said that he “firmly supports the death penalty.”

“As governor, he will ensure that violent criminals swiftly face the full weight of justice and that the families of victims are not left waiting decades for closure,” the statement said. “Florida is not California. In Florida, if you harm our citizens, you will face the consequences.”

The campaign never responded to a request for a full interview. 

However, Donalds spoke exclusively with a reporter at Florida A&M University’s The FAMUAN, who asked about whether his approach would differ from DeSantis. 

Donalds said Death Row inmates deserve due process and the opportunity to appeal (which they have), but did not comment specifically on the number of executions DeSantis oversaw or if he would continue the pattern he set.. 

“I’ve not looked at those cases. I think everyone is unique,” he said. “You have to look at them individually for [who] they are, and that’s what I’m going to do as governor.”

David Jolly

Jolly, who did not respond to The Trib’s request for an interview, said the death penalty is “probably the most serious and sober part of being the governor” during a conversation at the Texas Tribune Festival with Florida Trib Executive Editor Nate Monroe in November 2025.

He would not continue DeSantis’s trends, he said.

“I think this is an area that has to be approached with exceeding prudence,” he added, telling First Coast News in May 2026 that he anticipates issuing a moratorium on executions while the “issue is studied.”

“I don’t have a position of absolute clarity because I don’t think our criminal justice system has a pattern of absolute clarity,” he said. “I just think if we’re asking the governor to make a personal signature on a death warrant, that governor should be personally assured of the fidelity of how criminal justice is being applied in the state.”

DeSantis also fought for – and won – the lowest death penalty sentencing threshold in the country. Only eight of 12 jurors are required to vote for the death penalty in order to approve capital punishment.

Jolly said with certainty that he wouldn’t sign a death warrant for someone who didn’t receive a unanimous jury vote.

“The absolute worst thing a governor could do is sign a death warrant where there’s a possibility that that person is not guilty of the crime for which they were committed or the possibility to criminal justice was applied with discriminate impact because the person comes from a certain community or looks a certain way,” he told Monroe.

Nichole Manna is The Florida Trib’s senior investigative reporter. You can reach her at nichole.manna@floridatrib.org.