TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ronald Heath is scheduled to be executed in Florida tomorrow, Tuesday, February 10, at 6 p.m. ET. Absent a stay from a court or intervention by the Governor, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) will deliver nearly 5,000 petition signatures to Governor DeSantis urging him to halt the execution. Unless a stay is granted, FADP and advocates from across the state will gather at 5 p.m. Tuesday outside Florida State Prison for a vigil ahead of the scheduled execution. All are invited to stand in solidarity. Please gather in the designated area across the highway from the death chamber at Florida State Prison, 23916 NW 83rd Ave., Raiford, FL 32026.
Case Background
Ronald Heath was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan in Alachua County. Ronald’s younger brother Kenneth pleaded guilty to the crime, admitted to being the person who actually took Mr. Sheridan’s life, and agreed to testify for the State, securing a life sentence for himself. Ronald, despite having not pulled the trigger that killed Mr. Sheridan, was sentenced to death under the felony murder statute.
Ronald’s case is currently before the United States Supreme Court. His filings reveal a pattern of noncompliance with the State’s written execution procedures, proven by their own records. According to those records, over the course of the 19 executions Florida completed in 2025, the Department of Corrections:
- Used expired execution drugs;
- Prepared incorrect or incomplete drug dosages;
- Administered drugs not authorized by its own protocol;
- Failed to document what drugs were used, in what quantities, and when;
- Recorded drug removals days after executions occurred;
- Failed to keep contemporaneous logs — or any logs at all — for critical steps in the execution process.
In his petition for a writ of certiorari and application for a stay of execution, Ronald asks the Court to consider whether these procedural failures pose the risk of violating the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. He also argues that similar irregularities in both Oklahoma and Tennessee’s protocols led to temporary moratoriums on executions while independent investigations could be carried out. His claims are echoed in a case currently at the Florida Supreme Court regarding Melvin Trotter, the next person scheduled for execution after Ronald Heath.
Florida Context
If Ronald Heath’s execution proceeds, he will be the first person executed in Florida in 2026, and the 29th person executed under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Nineteen of these executions took place in 2025, making up roughly 40% of the executions that occurred nationwide. Florida has the most expansive death penalty in the nation, requiring only 8/12 jurors to vote to impose a death sentence, and authorizing the death penalty non-homicide crimes, both laws that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled as unconstitutional. Unlike in every other executing state, the Governor of Florida has the sole authority to sign death warrants and grant clemency.
There are currently three executions scheduled in Florida: Ronald Heath on February 10, Melvin Trotter on February 24, and Billy Kearse on March 3. If last year’s pattern holds, it is expected that Gov. DeSantis will sign additional death warrants in the weeks ahead.
Quotes for Attribution
“We hold the profound pain of both the victim’s family and Mr. Heath’s family with care and respect. Nothing can undo the harm that was done or restore what was lost – but proceeding with an execution amid serious constitutional concerns does not bring healing, accountability, or justice to either family.” – Grace Hanna, Executive Director for Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
“Florida’s commitment to transparency should not stop at the prison gates. My job is to explain what the State is doing in the public’s name, and the records show Florida is not doing that clearly or consistently.” – Bridget Maloney, Communications Director for Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
“I have seen botched executions. I would not wish that on anyone, most importantly the DOC staff. We should not wait for that to happen again before pausing to examine why our State is failing to do something as simple as keep accurate drug logs.” – Ron McAndrew, former Warden of Florida State Prison and leader of execution team during several executions
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FADP is a Florida-based, statewide organization of individuals and groups working together to end the death penalty in Florida. Our network includes dozens of state and local groups and thousands of individual Floridians, including murder victims’ family members and other survivors of violent crime, law enforcement professionals, families of the incarcerated, and death row exonerees.