Florida prepares to execute its 18th death row inmate this year under Governor Ron DeSantis, maintaining the state’s position as the nation’s execution leader and bringing DeSantis within one execution of tying Florida’s single-year record before he leaves office in January.
Veteran Faces Lethal Injection After Decades
William Reaves, 77, was scheduled to receive a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison for the 1986 murder of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski. The Army veteran would become the eighth prisoner over age 70 executed in Florida this year, highlighting the aging death row population across America. Reaves was convicted of shooting the deputy four times after a struggle over a firearm that fell from his shorts during a conversation outside a Vero Beach convenience store.
Reaves faced conviction twice for the same crime. His initial 1987 death sentence was reversed by the Florida Supreme Court due to prosecutorial conflicts of interest. A second trial in 1992 resulted in another death sentence, which survived all subsequent appeals for over three decades. His attorneys continued fighting until the final hours, with appeals still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Controversy Over Method And Military Service
Defense lawyers challenged Florida’s three-drug execution protocol, which differs from the single-drug method used by states like Tennessee. The Florida Supreme Court rejected these arguments last week, having previously upheld the state’s lethal injection procedures against similar legal challenges. The case drew additional attention when more than 100 veterans sent a letter to DeSantis requesting clemency, noting that jurors never learned the Department of Veterans Affairs rated Reaves as 100 percent disabled due to post-traumatic stress disorder from Vietnam War service.
Florida Outpaces Nation In Executions
Florida has carried out more than half of the 31 total executions conducted nationwide this year, dramatically outpacing all other states. Last year, the state set a record with 19 executions. Another execution is scheduled for November 5, when Jesse Guardado, 64, faces death for a 2004 robbery and murder. If both proceed as planned, Florida will tie its own single-year record. DeSantis has justified the aggressive execution schedule by stating his goal is bringing justice to families who waited decades for sentences to be carried out.
What This Means
The nation executed 47 people total in 2025, making Florida’s 18 executions this year a dominant share of capital punishment in America. The state made history in July by executing two prisoners in one day, the first state to do so in nearly a decade. As DeSantis prepares to leave office, his administration’s unprecedented use of the death penalty stands as a defining feature of his final term, reshaping Florida’s criminal justice legacy.