A group of three formerly incarcerated men who were exonerated after serving time on Florida’s death row held a press conference in Tallahassee on Thursday to urge incoming governor Byron Donalds to implement a moratorium on executions and conduct a comprehensive review of all 235 prisoners currently under death sentences.
The men, who serve as advocates with the organization Witness to Innocence, framed their request as a call for the new Republican governor to reconsider the state’s capital punishment practices. Herman Lindsey, exonerated in 2009 after three years on death row for a 1994 conviction, expressed hope that Donalds would take a different approach than outgoing governor Ron DeSantis, who is set to have signed 50 death warrants before leaving office in January. Lindsey stated he sought to provide Donalds with information about the death penalty to assist him in making informed decisions on the issue.
Florida currently leads the nation in both executions and exonerations. The state’s upcoming execution of Thomas Overton next Thursday would mark the 20th execution this year, surpassing the previous record of 19 set in 2025. The three men emphasized that their own cases illustrated flaws in the capital justice system, including fabricated evidence, false testimony from informants, and wrongful convictions. Joaquín José Martínez was exonerated in 2001 after evidence emerged that key evidence against him had been fabricated. Seth Penalver spent 18 years incarcerated, 13 on death row, before being exonerated of a triple homicide.
Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, stated the advocacy group intended to collaborate with Donalds once he assumes office. A representative from Donalds’ transition team indicated to the Miami Herald that a moratorium was unlikely, characterizing the incoming governor as “a staunch supporter of the death penalty.”
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