The Florida lethal injection process is a three-drug intravenous sequence carried out at Florida State Prison under Chapter 922 of the Florida Statutes. Lethal injection is the default method; the condemned person may choose electrocution instead, but only within a narrow window. The Department of Corrections currently uses etomidate, rocuronium bromide, and potassium acetate, administered in that order through two IV lines by a team of corrections personnel.
The Three Drugs and How They Are Given
Florida’s protocol sets the drugs by departmental policy rather than statute, and the current sequence has three steps.1Death Penalty Information Center. Florida Department of Corrections Execution Protocol
Etomidate goes first. It is a fast-acting sedative meant to render the person completely unconscious within seconds. Once it has been administered, the warden performs a consciousness check by calling the person’s name, brushing their eyelashes, and pinching the trapezius muscle. Only after confirming no response does the warden direct the executioner to continue.1Death Penalty Information Center. Florida Department of Corrections Execution Protocol
Rocuronium bromide follows. It is a neuromuscular blocking agent that paralyzes all voluntary muscles, including those needed to breathe. Potassium acetate is administered last. It disrupts the heart’s electrical signaling and causes cardiac arrest.
All three drugs flow through two separate intravenous lines, typically one in each arm. The IV team has at least two members who hold current certifications as phlebotomists, paramedics, or emergency medical technicians. The second line is a backup in case the primary line fails during the procedure.1Death Penalty Information Center. Florida Department of Corrections Execution Protocol
From Death Warrant to Execution Day
The formal countdown starts when the Governor signs a death warrant, which designates a specific week during which the execution must occur. The warden then picks the exact day within that week.2The Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 922.11 – Regulation of Execution Warrants are typically issued only after the condemned person has exhausted direct appeals and initial post-conviction proceedings in state and federal courts.
Once the warrant is signed, the person is transferred from death row at Union Correctional Institution to an isolated cell known as Q Wing at Florida State Prison, located just down the road. This period is commonly called death watch, and the person stays under heightened observation until the scheduled date.
On execution day, the person is offered a last meal. The Department of Corrections caps the cost at $40 and limits options to items available within the institution. Immediately before the procedure, the death warrant is read aloud, as the statute requires.3Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 922.10 – Execution of Death Sentence; Executioner The warden supervises the execution and keeps an open phone line to the Governor’s office until the final moment, in case a last-minute stay is granted. A physician present in the chamber announces when death has occurred.2The Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 922.11 – Regulation of Execution
The Electrocution Option
Lethal injection proceeds automatically unless the condemned person elects electrocution. That choice has to be made personally, in writing, and delivered to the warden within 30 days after the Florida Supreme Court issues its mandate affirming the death sentence.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 922.105 – Execution of Death Sentence Miss that window and the election is permanently waived.
The statute also contains a fallback: if either lethal injection or electrocution is ruled unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court or the U.S. Supreme Court, the state may use any other constitutional method.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 922.105 – Execution of Death Sentence In practice, that provision has never been triggered.
Where It Happens and Who Is Present
Every Florida execution is carried out at Florida State Prison, which houses the state’s only execution chamber. The chamber is equipped for both lethal injection and electrocution, with an adjacent witness room separated by a window.5Florida Department of Corrections. About Death Row
Florida law requires 12 citizens selected by the warden to witness every execution.2The Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 922.11 – Regulation of Execution Beyond those 12, the statute permits the condemned person’s attorney, ministers of religion the person has requested, and news media representatives under rules set by the Secretary of Corrections. Media access is handled through a pool arrangement, with the Florida Press Association and the Florida Association of Broadcasters selecting pool reporters.5Florida Department of Corrections. About Death Row Florida also allows a spiritual advisor to accompany the condemned person inside the chamber itself. Everyone else, aside from prison staff, is excluded.
Who Actually Handles the Drugs
Florida law contains a blanket exemption from medical licensing statutes for execution work. Prescribing, preparing, compounding, dispensing, and administering a lethal injection do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or pharmacy under the statute.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 922.105 – Execution of Death Sentence That is how corrections personnel can perform every step of the drug process without running into the professional licensing chapters that would otherwise apply. The full execution protocol is also exempt from Florida’s Administrative Procedure Act, so it does not go through standard public rulemaking.
Separately, no physician, nurse, pharmacist, or corrections employee can be forced to participate if doing so violates their moral or ethical beliefs.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 922.105 – Execution of Death Sentence The opt-out exists partly because the major medical and nursing organizations prohibit member participation. The American Medical Association’s ethics code states that a physician “must not participate in a legally authorized execution,” a prohibition it defines broadly to include selecting injection sites, starting IV lines, and monitoring vital signs.6American Medical Association. Capital Punishment The American Nurses Association takes the same position for nurses.7OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. ANA Position Statement: Capital Punishment and Nurses’ Participation in Capital Punishment
After the Execution
Florida law requires that the body be delivered to the medical examiner for an autopsy. After the autopsy, the body is prepared for burial and released to relatives if they request it. If the family has not provided a coffin, the body is delivered in a plain one.2The Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 922.11 – Regulation of Execution