Coming off a year where the state executed more inmates than at any other point in its modern history, Florida is moving forward with its first scheduled execution of 2026. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant Friday for Ronald Heath, 64, condemned for a grisly murder committed in Alachua County over three decades ago.
Heath is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on February 10 at Florida State Prison.
The warrant arrives on the heels of a record-breaking 2025, during which Florida carried out 19 executions. That figure shattered the state’s previous modern-era high of eight, a record that had stood since 1984 and was matched in 2014.
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Heath’s death sentence stems from the May 24, 1989, murder of Michael Sheridan. According to court documents, the chain of events began when Heath and his younger brother, Kenneth, met Sheridan at the Purple Porpoise Lounge in Gainesville. The three men eventually drove to a wooded area south of the city, ostensibly to smoke marijuana.
Once isolated in the woods, the encounter turned violent.
In a 1991 sentencing order, then-Circuit Judge Robert P. Cates described a chaotic scene where robbery turned into a prolonged execution. The order details how Ronald Heath instructed his brother to shoot Sheridan, initially wounding the victim in the chest. As Sheridan struggled to hand over his wallet and jewelry in an attempt to save his life, Ronald Heath attacked him with a hunting knife.
Judge Cates’ report provides a graphic account of the attempt: “Ronald attempted to slit Sheridan’s throat but found the task too difficult with a dull knife. He sawed at Sheriden’s neck but was unable to consummate the kill.”
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Unable to finish the murder with the knife, Ronald ordered Kenneth to shoot the victim again. Kenneth Heath fired two fatal shots into Sheridan’s brain.
Following the killing, the brothers used Sheridan’s stolen credit cards to buy clothing and jewelry at the Oaks Mall in Gainesville. Investigators eventually caught up with them after a failed attempt to buy a car stereo with one of the victim’s cards raised suspicions.
While Ronald Heath is now weeks away from execution, his brother remains behind bars serving a life sentence. Kenneth Heath, now 60, is incarcerated at Tomoka Correctional Institution after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.
The 1991 sentencing order spared Kenneth the death penalty, noting that Ronald was four years older and “clearly the dominant brother,” having directed Kenneth’s actions during the crime.
The signing of the death warrant is expected to trigger a final round of legal appeals regarding whether the execution should proceed.
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