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Courts & Justice · Report · File No. 261113-269

Exonerees urge Gov.-elect Donalds to pause executions as Florida nears record 20th

Three men once sentenced to death in Florida asked Byron Donalds to halt executions. His office says he will not, and the state's 20th execution of 2026 is set for next week.

By the Courts Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Byron Donalds
Byron Donalds. Photo: United States Congress, Public domain

Three men who were once sentenced to death in Florida asked Byron Donalds on Thursday to halt upcoming executions. Donalds is the Republican congressman who is the state's incoming governor 1. The men are Seth Penalver, Herman Lindsey and Joaquín José Martínez 1.

They are seeking a roundtable with Donalds and want him to review each case on its own, according to The Guardian, as relayed by Newsweek 1. A local TV report said the group also wants him to review state laws that they believe contribute to wrongful convictions 3.

A record pace

Florida has carried out 19 executions this year, the most of any state, according to the state Department of Corrections 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Thomas Overton, who was convicted of killing a couple in the Florida Keys and their unborn child in 1992 1.

Overton's execution would be the state's 20th this year 12. Fox 13 reported it would be the highest total in a single year since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 2. Outlets differ on the date. Newsweek says Nov. 19, and Fox 13's article text says 6 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Florida State Prison in Starke 12.

From Channel GOPDeSantis says Bondi's Epstein files promise fell apartGov. Ron DeSantis · 3K plays · captioned, with the source named
I hope that you consider re-evaluating the death penalty before you use it, and investigate
Herman Lindsey, Executive Director, Witness to Innocence; exonerated former Florida death row prisoner1

Lindsey was sent to death row in 2006 and exonerated in 2009, according to his online biography. He now leads Witness to Innocence, a group that works with exonerated death row prisoners 1. The news conference was held by that group and Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty 1.

Donalds' answer so far

Earlier this week, an Arkansas pastor, the Rev. Jeff Hood, asked Donalds for a six-month moratorium, or pause, on executions. His letter said that no legislature voted for the current pace and that no voter was asked about it 1. The Miami Herald reported that a Donalds spokesperson answered that he “is a staunch supporter of the death penalty and will govern as such.” 1

Byron Donalds
ensure violent criminals swiftly face the full weight of justice.
Byron Donalds, Governor-elect of Florida, Republican1

Newsweek asked Donalds' campaign for comment on Thursday's request. The article does not include a reply 1. A TV report published before the event also did not include a response from Donalds 3.

What happens next

Craig Agranoff, a political professor at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek that the governor has wide authority over warrants, so a pause is legally possible. He said it would be harder politically, because Donalds ran on continuity with DeSantis and won a close race by holding the Republican base 1.

Agranoff said Donalds could slow the pace or review individual cases without announcing a pause. He called full differentiation on capital punishment unlikely 1. That is one expert's view, not a statement from Donalds.

That matters because the governor alone decides when warrants are signed. Whether the record pace continues after Donalds takes office will be his choice. Officials have not said whether Overton has any appeals left 2.

The Record

  1. Fox 13 reports DeSantis signed a death warrant for Thomas Overton, which would be Florida's 20th execution of 2026 2.
  2. Three exonerated former death row prisoners ask Gov.-elect Donalds in Tallahassee to halt executions 13.
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Sources

  1. Newsweek, “Byron Donalds Confronted With Future of Florida Executions” (2026-11-13). newsweek.com/byron-donalds-confronted-with-future-of-florida
  2. Fox 13 Tampa Bay, “Florida schedules 20th execution of year as DeSantis signs death warrant for 1992 Keys murders” (2026-10-22). fox13news.com/news/florida-schedules-20th-execution-year-des
  3. WFTV, “Exonerees to rally at Florida Capitol to urge Governor Donalds to pause executions” (2026-11-09). wftv.com/news/local/exonerees-rally-florida-capitol-urge-gov

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