Florida has scheduled a February 10, 2026 execution for Ronald Heath, sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan. It is the first death warrant of 2026, following an unprecedented execution pace in 2025.

Ronald's case reflects the same systemic failures that defined 2025: extreme disparities between co-defendants, a non-unanimous (10-12) jury recommendation, and reliance on incentivized testimony. His brother/co-defendant received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

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More case information is available from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

Ronald Palmer Heath was charged with the first-degree murder and armed robbery of Michael Sheridan in Gainesville, Florida, in May 1989. He and his brother, Kenneth Heath, were both indicted in connection with Mr. Sheridan’s death.

Kenneth Heath later entered into a plea agreement, pled guilty, and agreed to testify against his brother. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Ronald Heath was sentenced to death despite a jury vote of 10-2.

This case reflects many of the systemic failures that now define Florida’s death penalty. Reliance on incentivized testimony, sharply divergent outcomes for co-defendants, and non-unanimous jury recommendations have long raised concerns about reliability and fairness. These are features of a system that has steadily abandoned caution in favor of speed.

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While most states have moved away from the death penalty, Florida is accelerating executions at an alarming rate. Each warrant signed underscores the state’s embrace of a punishment that is arbitrary, racially biased, and out of step with evolving standards of decency.

We believe in accountability, but true accountability does not require execution. A sentence of life without the possibility of parole protects society while also recognizing the human capacity for redemption and the role of childhood trauma in shaping adult behavior.

Florida does not need the death penalty to be safe. This execution will not make us safer, it will simply add another act of violence to an already tragic story. Justice does not require death.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Board of Executive Clemency to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.