Man Who Has Witnessed Every Florida Execution Speaks Out as State Sets Record

MIAMI — As Florida carried out a record number of executions this year, one man has been present for all of them — and says the pace has transformed a grim duty into an exhausting moral obligation.

John S. Koch, a veteran radio reporter in North Florida, has witnessed every execution in the state since 1989, beginning with serial killer Ted Bundy, according to reporting by The New York Times. This year alone, Koch observed 19 executions, the most Florida has ever conducted in a single year.

Florida’s surge has driven executions nationwide to a 15-year high, with 47 people put to death across the country in 2025. Nearly 40% of those executions occurred in Florida, the Times reported, making it the most active death-penalty state in the nation this year.

Koch, 76, said the pace has meant traveling to Florida State Prison near Starke roughly every two weeks to witness lethal injections — a process he carefully observes for inmates’ final words, physical reactions and how long death takes.

“It gets hard,” Koch told the Times, describing the emotional toll of repeatedly witnessing the state’s ultimate punishment.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended the increase, saying he is signing death warrants to deliver justice to victims’ families after decades of appeals. Florida now has 251 inmates on death row, second only to California.

Koch said he continues to attend executions out of responsibility to the public, even as fewer journalists cover them. He noted that in recent executions, he and an Associated Press reporter were often the only members of the press present.

“If I don’t do it,” Koch said, “who else will?”

The Times reported that Koch personally opposes the death penalty, calling it outdated, but believes bearing witness is essential as executions accelerate in Florida and beyond.