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Florida Set for Record Year in Executions with Two More in October

Florida's executions this year are at an all-time high. Activists urge the governor to consider life sentences instead.

In this image there are people protesting on a road holding posters in their hands, in the...
In this image there are people protesting on a road holding posters in their hands, in the background there are buildings, trees, light poles and the sky.

Florida Set for Record Year in Executions with Two More in October

Florida is preparing for two more executions this month, bringing the total to a record number in 2025. Norman Grimm, convicted in 1998, and Samuel Smithers, sentenced for killing two women in Tampa, are set to face the death penalty. Meanwhile, activists are protesting, with vigils planned for both inmates.

Grimm, convicted for killing a woman in 1998, is scheduled for execution on October 28. Vigils will be held from 5-6 pm on that day at Ulmerton Road and 49th Street North in Pinellas County. Smithers, who killed two women in Tampa, is set to be executed on October 14, with a vigil planned for the same time and location.

John Stewart, from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, questions the purpose of the death penalty. The organisation is fighting back through protests, petitions, and campaigns targeting Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been actively signing death warrants and overseeing executions this year. Anti-death penalty advocates in Pinellas County are calling for life sentences instead.

Florida's record year for executions continues with the scheduled deaths of Norman Grimm and Samuel Smithers. While vigils are planned to remember the victims, activists are pushing for alternatives to the death penalty. The current governor, Ron DeSantis, remains committed to enforcing death sentences.

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