Florida is keeping up a fast pace of executions this year. On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Melvin Trotter, a man convicted of killing a grocery store owner nearly 40 years ago. Trotter, who is now 65 years old, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on February 24.
This marks the second execution scheduled for next month. Just a few weeks ago, the governor signed a warrant for Ronald Heath, who is set to be executed on February 10 for a murder in 1989.
This follows a record-breaking year for the state.
READ: Florida Court Deals Major Blow To Recreational Marijuana Push Just Days Before Deadline
In 2025, Florida put 19 inmates to death, which is the most in the state’s modern history. For comparison, the previous record was just eight executions in a single year. From May through December of last year, the state executed two people every month.
Trotter was sent to death row for the murder of 70-year-old Virgie Langford in June 1986. According to court records, Langford was found by a truck driver on the floor in the back of her store in Palmetto. The court documents describe a brutal scene.
A 1990 Florida Supreme Court report said she had been stabbed seven times and suffered a massive wound to her stomach. She was able to tell the driver she had been robbed before she was taken to the hospital. Sadly, she died later that day after surgery.
Because the governor signed the warrant, Trotter’s lawyers are expected to file legal appeals to try and stop the execution. This is a standard part of the process. Meanwhile, lawyers for Ronald Heath are already appealing his case to the Florida Supreme Court. Heath was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan, who was robbed and killed in the woods near Gainesville.
READ: ‘Minnesota Has Had It’: Governor Demands Federal Agents Leave After Saturday Shooting
Not everyone agrees with the speed of these executions. A group called Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty spoke out quickly after the news broke.
They argue that the state is treating these deaths as just a routine part of business. In a statement on their website, the group said that rather than pausing after a deadly year, Florida is picking up right where it left off. They expressed concern about the risk of mistakes and the harm the system causes to everyone involved, including families and prison staff.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
