What do Florida’s 2026 governor candidates think of the death penalty?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will leave office in January 2027 after the 2026 gubernatorial election. Florida's constitution limits governors to two consecutive four-year terms. DeSantis was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, so he is term-limited and cannot run for a third consecutive term in the November 3, 2026 election.

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Ron DeSantis exits office, one of the legacies he‘ll leave behind is a record-shattering embrace of the death penalty.

Last year, DeSantis signed death warrants for 19 prisoners, the most in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s. This year, Florida has already executed four people and has three other cases with death warrants signed. (The Florida Supreme Court has granted a stay of execution in one case.)

DeSantis has also pushed for measures to broaden the scope of the death penalty beyond murder. Legislation he backed would allow for the execution of some child rapists, a move that defies U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

DeSantis also pushed for — and got — the lowest death penalty sentencing threshold in the nation. Florida requires the vote of only eight jurors out of 12 in order to approve capital punishment, making it one of only two states that don’t require unanimous juries.

Florida has the highest number of death row exonerations in the nation, with 30.

As DeSantis leaves office, the candidates who hope to replace him have the opportunity to shape the death penalty to their own vision.

We asked the most prominent candidates, Democrats and Republicans, how they envisioned handling the death penalty if elected. Here’s what they said.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Republican

In a statement, Donalds said he stands firmly in support of the death penalty and that as governor, he would “ensure violent criminals swiftly face the full weight of justice.”

“This is not California,” Donalds said. “Chaos will not run our streets, and criminals will not run our communities. In Florida, we don’t play that game. Harm a Floridian, and you will face the consequences.”

James Fishback, Republican

“As a Christian, I take seriously the prospect of sentencing someone to death,” Fishback said in a phone interview with the Times/Herald. “It’s never a decision I would take lightly and one I would only reserve for the most heinous crimes committed in our state.”

Fishback, an investment firm CEO,also said he hopes the death penalty could be used as sparingly as possible because he hopes to reduce the number of “heinous crimes” in the state.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Republican

Collins, in an emailed statement, said he has “no sympathy for murderers and child rapists.”

“As governor, I will uphold our constitutional obligation to sentence them to the death penalty swiftly,” Collins said. “The families of victims deserve justice. Florida will remain a law and order state when I’m governor.”

Former House Speaker Paul Renner, Republican

Renner earlier this year called for limiting death penalty appeals to three years in order to expedite cases.

In a statement, he said the death penalty system in Florida is broken, noting that such cases take, on average, 30 years from sentencing to execution.

“Violent murderers exploit endless, frivolous appeals, stretching cases out for decades while victims’ families wait — often until they die before seeing justice served,” Renner said.

“One recent case in Florida involved the rape and murder of a six-year-old child, and execution was delayed more than 40 years,” Renner said, seemingly referring tothe case of James Duckett, a former police officer accused of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl. “That is a mockery of the rule of law.”

“As a former prosecutor, I know the death penalty deters crime — especially when it is swift and certain. Justice delayed weakens deterrence. Justice delivered upholds law and order.”

Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, Democrat

Jolly’s senior adviser, Mark Riddle, said Jolly would halt DeSantis’ rapid-fire signing of death warrants.

“Rep. Jolly anticipates pausing Gov. DeSantis’ record pace of death warrants until a thorough review of the patterns and practices of the death penalty in Florida can be completed by a new Administration,” Riddle said in a statement.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Democrat

Demings, the former sheriff of Orange County, said in a statement that “capital punishment needs reform” in Florida.

“As someone who served in law enforcement for decades, as chief of the Orlando Police Department, and as sheriff of Orange County, I believe that Governor DeSantis has employed the death penalty indiscriminately to score political points,” Demings said.

“As governor, I will push prosecutors to reserve capital punishment for the most serious offenses and ensure it is carried out as humanely as possible,” he said.

Source: Tampa Bay, Romy Ellenbogen, April 1, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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