Ron DeSantis just signed one order that sent death penalty opponents into full panic mode

Florida’s governor isn’t backing down from his tough-on-crime agenda.

The radical Left keeps attacking his record on public safety.

But Ron DeSantis just signed one order that sent death penalty opponents into full panic mode.

Florida governor sets execution date for triple killer as opponents cry foul

Governor Ron DeSantis authorized the September 17 execution of David Pittman on Friday, marking his 12th death warrant this year.¹

Pittman earned his death sentence for stabbing three family members to death during a 1990 domestic dispute in Polk County.

Pittman’s warrant makes it an even dozen death orders signed by DeSantis this year.

Florida broke its own execution record months ago – nine killers have already met their fate in 2025, crushing the old mark of eight from 1984 and 2014.²

The anti-death penalty crowd is having a collective meltdown watching DeSantis actually follow through on jury verdicts.

Now they’re filing lawsuits claiming racism in how the governor picks which killers to execute.

DeSantis won’t let woke politics stop him from delivering justice that families have waited decades to see.

Here’s a governor who understands that coddling murderers isn’t compassionate leadership.

The murders that sealed Pittman’s fate

Look at what Pittman did in 1990 and you’ll understand why 12 jurors said he deserved to die.

Pittman showed up at his wife’s parents’ house in Mulberry while Marie was trying to divorce him.³

He brought a knife and used it on three people who couldn’t defend themselves – elderly Clarence Knowles, his wife Barbara, and their 20-year-old daughter Bonnie.

Court records show the medical examiner found massive bleeding from multiple stab wounds on all three victims.

Bonnie Knowles suffered additional trauma when Pittman slashed her throat during the attack.

After murdering the family, Pittman set their house ablaze and stole the young woman’s vehicle.

A witness spotted Pittman fleeing from Bonnie’s burning car, which he had also torched.

Prosecutors built an overwhelming case that included both eyewitness testimony and a jailhouse confession.

A jury in Polk County found him guilty on three murder counts, plus arson and grand theft in 1991.⁴

Pittman’s been sitting on death row for over 30 years, filing appeal after appeal while families waited for justice.

Race-baiting becomes the Left’s last resort

The legal system has spoken on these cases – multiple times. Now activists are crying racism because they can’t win on the law.

Take Kayle Bates, who’s scheduled to die Tuesday. His lawyers filed a lawsuit claiming DeSantis picks Black defendants and only cares about white victims.⁵

Here’s their brilliant legal theory: somehow the governor is racist for carrying out sentences that juries – not DeSantis – handed down years ago.

But the governor’s actual record destroys this narrative completely.

DeSantis’s legal team pointed out that Black inmates represent nearly 20% of his execution selections, exceeding their 15% share of Florida’s population.⁶

The timing of the race-baiting lawsuit backfired spectacularly on the activists.

Hours after Bates filed his discrimination claim, DeSantis signed Curtis Windom’s death warrant – a Black man convicted of killing three Black victims.⁷

This completely demolished the activists’ argument about prioritizing white victims.

Maria DeLiberato from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty complained about the governor’s response.

DeLiberato complained that DeSantis used the victim’s race to defend himself – completely missing the obvious point.

The governor makes these decisions based on legal cases, not the racial scorecards that consume the radical Left.

While other states drag their feet, Florida delivers results

Compare Florida’s track record to the rest of the country and it’s embarrassing for everyone else.

DeSantis has overseen nine executions this year. Texas and South Carolina managed four each.⁸

Other governors apparently think justice delayed indefinitely is somehow more humane than following through on jury verdicts.

Florida’s got 261 killers on death row right now.⁹

These aren’t new cases – some of these murderers have been fighting their sentences for nearly three decades.¹⁰

Think about that. Victims’ families have been waiting longer for justice than some of the victims even lived.

The state’s freed 30 people from death row since 1973 who turned out to be innocent.¹¹

So the system works to catch mistakes. But when the evidence is solid, DeSantis doesn’t let appeals drag on forever.

Look at the timeline these defense lawyers complain about. They get 30 days to file final appeals once a warrant is signed.

Thirty days sounds rushed until you remember their clients have been appealing for decades already.

Watching the Left melt down over actual law enforcement

Anti-death penalty groups are running out of excuses to stop Florida’s execution schedule.

Robin Maher at the Death Penalty Information Center claims there’s too much “secrecy” around how DeSantis picks cases.¹²

There’s no mystery here – the governor follows the law while other states let activist pressure override jury verdicts.

The real issue is that other governors lack DeSantis’s courage to carry out jury verdicts.

Some observers suspect Attorney General James Uthmeier’s February appointment coincided with the execution surge.¹³

If true, that represents exactly the kind of competent leadership voters demand from their elected officials.

Gerod Hooper from Capital Collateral Regional Counsel admits he tries predicting which inmates DeSantis will select next.

His track record? He’s been wrong every single time because the governor focuses on legal merit rather than political calculations.¹⁴

Veterans’ groups have also complained about executing former service members like Bates.

Wearing the uniform doesn’t give you a free pass to murder innocent people. DeSantis isn’t handing out special treatment based on what group you belong to.

Families deserve justice, not endless delays

The anti-death penalty movement loves talking about the poor killers while ignoring the people they butchered.

DeSantis refuses to let Florida become a sanctuary state for killers who’ve lost every legal challenge.

David Pittman received over three decades of due process through state and federal courts.

He failed to prove innocence because overwhelming evidence confirmed his guilt from the beginning.

The Knowles family deserves to see justice for Clarence, Barbara, and 20-year-old Bonnie after 35 years of waiting.

Florida’s execution record proves the system works when governors have the backbone to implement it.

The radical Left can cry about Florida’s pace all they want.

But voters nationwide are watching DeSantis deliver the tough-on-crime leadership they wish their own governors would show.

While other states coddle murderers indefinitely, Florida under DeSantis actually delivers justice for victims’ families.

That’s exactly why he remains one of the most popular governors in America among law-abiding citizens who demand accountability.

¹ Scaffolding Record, “DeSantis Signs 12th Death Warrant of Year: David Pittman, Polk Murderer of 3,” FlaglerLive, August 16, 2025.

² Alexa Coultoff, “Florida has executed 9 people this year. What to know about the record,” Tampa Bay Times, August 15, 2025.

³ Adeola Adeosun, “Florida Man Set for Execution After Killing Estranged Wife’s Family in 1990,” Newsweek, August 16, 2025.

⁴ Scaffolding Record, “DeSantis Signs 12th Death Warrant of Year: David Pittman, Polk Murderer of 3,” FlaglerLive, August 16, 2025.

⁵ Alexa Coultoff, “Florida has executed 9 people this year. What to know about the record,” Tampa Bay Times, August 15, 2025.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ AP Correspondent, “Florida continues capital punishment record with execution date for triple murderer,” Associated Press, August 17, 2025.

⁹ Alexa Coultoff, “Florida has executed 9 people this year. What to know about the record,” Tampa Bay Times, August 15, 2025.

¹⁰ – ¹⁴ Ibid.