Florida has carried out its first execution of 2026, marking the continuation of a significant increase in capital punishment under Governor Ron DeSantis's administration. Ronald Palmer Heath, aged 64, received a lethal injection at the Florida state prison near Starke on Tuesday evening, becoming the initial prisoner executed this year following a record-breaking period for the state's death penalty system.
Details of the 1989 Murder Case
Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, and additional charges related to the killing of Michael Sheridan, a traveling salesman, in May 1989. According to court documents, Heath and his brother Kenneth met Sheridan at a bar in Gainesville before driving him to a remote location with the intention of robbery.
Prosecutors detailed that Kenneth Heath initially shot Sheridan in the chest after the victim resisted handing over his possessions. Ronald Heath then participated in the attack by kicking Sheridan and stabbing him with a hunting knife, before Kenneth fired two fatal shots to the victim's head. The brothers subsequently disposed of the body in a wooded area and used Sheridan's credit cards for purchases at a local mall.
Legal Appeals and Execution Protocol
The Florida Supreme Court rejected appeals from Heath's legal team last week, with the US Supreme Court following suit on Tuesday morning. His attorneys had raised multiple arguments against the execution, including claims of mismanaged death penalty protocols by corrections officials, issues with Florida's secretive clemency process, concerns about Heath's brain development due to juvenile incarceration, and the absence of a unanimous jury recommendation for the death penalty.
Heath was pronounced dead at 6:12 pm following administration of the state's standard three-drug lethal injection protocol, which utilises a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a substance that induces cardiac arrest.
Florida's Accelerated Execution Schedule
This execution represents the first of 2026 but follows an unprecedented year for capital punishment in Florida. During 2025, the state executed 19 prisoners, setting a new record under Governor DeSantis's leadership that surpassed the previous high of eight executions in 2014. This total contributed significantly to the national figure of 47 executions across the United States last year.
Florida's execution schedule shows no signs of slowing, with two additional prisoners already scheduled for lethal injection in the coming weeks. Melvin Trotter, aged 65, is due to be executed on 24th February, followed by Billy Leon Kearse, aged 53, exactly one week later on 3rd March.
Broader Context and Comparative Figures
While Florida led the nation with 19 executions in 2025, other states including Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carried out five executions during the same period. The case highlights ongoing debates about capital punishment protocols, racial bias in the justice system, and the increasing pace of executions in certain American states.
Kenneth Heath, Ronald's brother and co-defendant in the murder case, received a life imprisonment sentence as part of a plea agreement, illustrating the different outcomes that can emerge from similar criminal proceedings.
