The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to step in and stop the clock on Ronald Heath’s upcoming execution, as his legal team levels explosive accusations of “reckless maladministration” against the state’s prison system.
Heath, 64, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on February 10, but a 76-page emergency brief filed Monday argues that Florida’s recent execution spree has led to dangerous incompetence behind the scenes.
His attorney, Sonya Rudenstine, argues that the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is buckling under the weight of an “unprecedented pace.” After a record-breaking 2025 that saw 19 people put to death, the defense claims the state is cutting corners in ways that violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
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The filing alleges a litany of errors from last year’s executions, including the use of expired drugs, incorrect dosages, and the preparation of unauthorized chemicals.
The brief specifically points to the November execution of Bryan Frederick Jennings, which lasted 20 minutes—significantly longer than the usual 15. Heath’s lawyers described the event as “anomalous” and suggested it was a red flag for a system that can no longer competently follow its own rules.
Heath was originally sentenced for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan near Gainesville. Beyond the procedural complaints, his lawyers are also pushing a developmental argument. They claim Heath’s brain development was permanently “stunted” after he was sent to an adult prison at just 16 years old, where he reportedly suffered horrific physical and sexual trauma. They argue that executing a man with such a background would be unconstitutional.
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So far, the courts haven’t been moved. A circuit judge recently dismissed these claims as “speculative,” but the state’s high court now has the final word.
If the execution proceeds, Heath will be the first inmate put to death in Florida in 2026, followed closely by Melvin Trotter, who is scheduled for late February. After decades of relatively few executions per year, Florida’s aggressive new timeline has put the state’s protocols under a microscope that isn’t going away anytime soon.
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