Florida Set for 18th Execution This Year, Nearing State Record

Florida is scheduled to carry out its 18th execution of the year on Tuesday, placing it on pace to tie the state's record for the most executions in a single year. The state has significantly increased its use of the death penalty during Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' final term.

William Reaves, 77, is set to be executed by lethal injection. He was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1986 shooting death of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski. Reaves would be the eighth prisoner over the age of 70 to be executed in Florida this year, a statistic that highlights the aging population on death row nationwide and Florida's leading role in executions.

Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions. With another execution scheduled for November, the state could match that record if both are carried out as planned.

DeSantis, who will leave office in January, has stated that his goal is to provide justice for victims' families who have endured decades awaiting the finalization of death sentences.

According to court records, Reaves acknowledged making a payphone call outside a Vero Beach convenience store in September 1986. Deputy Raczkowski responded to a 911 call related to the incident. While Raczkowski and Reaves were speaking, a gun fell from Reaves' shorts. Officials stated that a struggle ensued, during which Reaves regained control of the firearm and shot the deputy four times as he attempted to flee. Raczkowski later died from his injuries.

Reaves was initially convicted and sentenced to death approximately one year after the shooting. The Florida Supreme Court overturned this conviction due to a conflict of interest with the prosecutor, ordering a new trial. Reaves was convicted and sentenced to death a second time in 1992, and subsequent appeals have been unsuccessful.

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Reaves' final appeals. One argument raised by his defense attorneys concerned Florida's execution method. The Department of Corrections states that all Florida executions use a three-drug lethal injection protocol: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart. The state's courts have previously upheld this protocol against similar challenges.

Defense attorneys also argued that the jury that recommended the death penalty for Reaves was not informed that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated Reaves, an Army veteran, as 100% disabled due to post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his service in the Vietnam War. On Monday, more than 100 veterans sent a letter to DeSantis urging him to halt the execution.

Final appeals for Reaves remained pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nationwide, 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida has carried out more than half of the 31 total executions in the U.S. so far this year. In July, Florida executed two prisoners on the same day, the first time a state had done so in nearly a decade.

Jesse Guardado, 64, is the next prisoner scheduled to be executed by injection in Florida on November 5. He was convicted of robbing and killing a woman in 2004 to fund a drug habit.