Last night, Taps played outside Florida State Prison to mark the execution of William Reaves, Jr., a decorated Vietnam veteran whose severe, service-related post-traumatic stress disorder drove his actions on the night of his crime. We released our statement remembering Mr. Reaves’ life here, and I hope you’ll read and share it. His service, and the extraordinary work of his legal team, who have handled back-to-back death warrants all year, deserve your time and attention.

Today, we have more difficult news to share. Gov. DeSantis has signed another death warrant, scheduling Thomas Overton’s execution for November 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. We’ve started a petition for Mr. Overton here and will share more information soon.

Two people are now scheduled for execution in Florida: Jesse Guardado on November 5 and Mr. Overton just two weeks later. Both survived the Dozier School for Boys, an abusive “reform” school where children entrusted to the state’s care were beaten and abused. In 2017, the Florida Legislature unanimously passed resolutions apologizing for that abuse. In 2024, Gov. DeSantis signed legislation to compensate some of its survivors.

FADP opposes the death penalty in every case. But these executions demand particular attention to the state’s own responsibility. Florida failed Jesse Guardado and Thomas Overton when they were children in its custody. The harm they later caused does not erase what the state did to them, or relieve Florida of its obligation to reckon with that abuse. Florida’s acknowledgment of the abuse at Dozier must extend to mercy for the men who survived it.

Please sign our petitions for Jesse Guardado and Thomas Overton to urge Gov. DeSantis to stop these executions and honor the commitment to survivors reflected in the legislation he signed.

Onward,

Grace Hanna

FADP Executive Director

P.S. — Mark Olive, a longtime capital defense lawyer in Florida, published a beautiful op-ed in the South Florida Sun Sentinel today. It expertly recounts the execution spree of the past two years, and calls for an end to this reckless pattern. You can read it here, or in tomorrow’s print edition if you happen to be in south Florida.

        Sign Jesse’s Petition                                                                                                                                                                 Sign Thomas’ Petition 

Understanding Florida’s Dozier School

With Florida preparing to execute two men who survived the Dozier School for Boys, we thought you might want to learn more about its history. These books, films, and articles explore what happened to children in the state’s care and the survivors’ long fight to be heard.

• “Dozens of Teens Who Spent Time at Abusive Florida Reform School Ended Up on Death Row” by Leonora LePeter Anton: The definitive piece on the at least 34 boys who survived Dozier and then ended up on Florida death row.
• “For Their Own Good” by Ben Montgomery and Waveney Ann Moore: A St. Petersburg Times investigation documenting survivors’ accounts of abuse.
• “It Was Kind of Like Slavery” by Michael Mechanic and Nina Berman: a photographic and audio recounting of Dozier and the survivors’ fight for recognition
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead: A Pulitzer Prize–winning novel inspired by Dozier. Also adapted into the film Nickel Boys, directed by RaMell Ross and currently streaming on Prime.
• We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys by Erin Kimmerle: A nonfiction retelling of the search for children buried at Dozier and the effort to return them to their families, written by the forensic anthropologist who led the search.