Florida to carry out its 13th execution this year in US’s busiest death chamber

Florida is scheduled to execute William Frances Silvia on Tuesday, marking the state's 13th execution this year and continuing its high rate of capital punishment under Governor Ron DeSantis. Silvia, 61, was convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife and wounding his mother-in-law in 2006. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt his execution, which is set to proceed via lethal injection. Florida has two more executions scheduled for September and has accounted for over half of the 22 executions nationwide in 2026. Silvia's death sentence was reinstated in 2018 after an earlier sentence was vacated due to sentencing procedure issues.

Florida is set to carry out its 13th execution of the year with William Frances Silvia, 61, who was convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife and wounding his mother-in-law in 2006. This execution would continue Florida's high rate of capital punishment, with the state having conducted over half of the nation's 22 executions in 2026. Silvia is scheduled for a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison, with a final appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Florida led the nation in executions in 2025 with 19, a record since 1976, and has two more executions scheduled for September. Silvia's attorneys argued that a state agency failed to provide adequate legal assistance, an appeal rejected by the Florida Supreme Court.