Florida sets up a third execution in 2026 as state leads US death penalty surge
January 30, 2026
A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer during a traffic stop is set to be Florida’s third execution of 2026. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant Thursday for 53-year-old Billy Leon Kearse. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection March 3 at Florida State Prison. DeSantis, a Republican, oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was eight executions in 2014. DeSantis says he wants to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited decades for the death sentences to be carried out. Kearse was initially sentenced in 1991.