Why It Matters
Florida’s execution rate has made it the nation’s leading jurisdiction for capital punishment, accounting for the majority of death sentences carried out nationwide. The state’s continued use of the death penalty reflects broader questions about how American states approach criminal justice and capital sentencing in an era when executions have declined nationally.
What Happened
William Francis Silvia, 61, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Silvia was convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife Patricia Silvia and wounding her mother Betty Woodard during an attack in 2006 at the mother’s Orlando-area home. The shooting occurred during a cookout after Silvia’s failed attempt to reconcile with his wife, who had been living at her mother’s home for two months following their separation. Silvia had purchased a shotgun and retrieved it from his truck before the attack.
Silvia received his initial death sentence following a 2008 trial but successfully challenged the conviction on appeal based on Florida’s death penalty sentencing procedures. A new sentencing phase was granted in 2018, at which point he was again sentenced to death. His defense team argued that the state-appointed Capital Collateral Regional Counsel could not provide adequate representation due to a conflict with another death row inmate, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that appeal. A final appeal remains pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The execution is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. local time.
By the Numbers
13 — executions Florida has carried out in 2026 to date
22 — total executions in the United States in 2026 (Florida responsible for more than half)
19 — executions carried out in Florida in 2025, a state record since capital punishment’s reinstatement in 1976
47 — executions in the U.S. in 2025
2 — additional Florida executions scheduled for September (Harold Gene Lucas on Sept. 1 and Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. on Sept. 10)
Zoom Out
Florida’s execution pace significantly outpaces the rest of the country. The state’s 13 executions through mid-August represent a substantial increase from 2025, when Florida carried out 19 executions—the highest number in any single year since the state resumed capital punishment nearly five decades ago. In July 2026, Florida became the first state in nearly a decade to execute two prisoners on the same day, underscoring the state’s position as the nation’s most active death penalty jurisdiction.
National execution numbers have remained relatively stable but concentrated in a small number of states. With Florida accounting for more than half of the 22 U.S. executions in 2026, the state’s death penalty system operates at a scale that distinguishes it from nearly all other jurisdictions. Texas, historically the nation’s leading executor, has carried out fewer executions in recent years.
What’s Next
Following Silvia’s execution, two additional death sentences are slated to proceed in September. Harold Gene Lucas, 74, is scheduled for execution on Sept. 1 for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old girl and wounding two friends. Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., 72, faces execution on Sept. 10 for kidnapping and strangling a man. The pace of scheduled executions signals that Florida’s death penalty system will continue operating at elevated levels through the remainder of 2026.