Overview

• On July 31, Florida executed Edward Zakrzewski by lethal injection for the 1994 machete murders of his wife and two young children, marking the state’s ninth execution of the year.
• That figure exceeds any annual total since the death penalty’s 1976 reinstatement and makes Florida the nation’s leader in executions in 2025.
• Governor Ron DeSantis has signed multiple death warrants and reinstated lethal injection protocols this year, propelling the state’s record pace.
• The U.S. has tallied 27 executions so far in 2025, the highest in a decade, with Florida’s increase pushing the national total toward a decade-high annual count of 28.
• Opponents contend that the fast-tracked schedule overlooks racial disparities and mental-health exemptions, straining legal safeguards in Florida’s capital system.