STARK, Fla. — Ronald Palmer Heath became the first person executed in Florida this year, receiving a lethal injection Tuesday evening for a crime committed more than three decades ago. The 64-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:12 PM at the state prison near Starke, having been convicted for his role in the murder of traveling salesman Michael Sheridan in 1989.
Heath’s execution marks a significant moment as it follows a year in which Florida conducted a record 19 executions, the highest number in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Governor Ron DeSantis presided over an unprecedented number of executions last year, surpassing any previous governor’s record. In contrast, Florida had set its prior high for executions in 2014, with eight carried out that year.
Court documents reveal that Heath and his brother, Kenneth, met Sheridan at a bar in Gainesville in May 1989. After spending some time together, the trio decided to relocate for recreational activities, including smoking marijuana. Authorities later determined that the brothers had ulterior motives, plotting to rob Sheridan.
In a remote area, the situation escalated when Kenneth Heath brandished a handgun. When Sheridan resisted, Kenneth shot him in the chest. As the victim attempted to comply by emptying his pockets, Ronald Heath inflicted further violence, kicking and stabbing Sheridan with a hunting knife. In a final act of brutality, Kenneth shot Sheridan twice in the head.
After abandoning Sheridan’s body in the woods, the brothers returned to the Gainesville area, where they accessed Sheridan’s rental car. They reportedly made several purchases with his stolen credit cards shortly thereafter.
Law enforcement apprehended Ronald Heath weeks later in Douglas, Georgia, following a trail of credit card use that linked him to the crime. Investigators recovered items purchased with the stolen cards, including clothing and Sheridan’s watch. Kenneth Heath, meanwhile, accepted a plea deal that resulted in a life sentence instead of capital punishment.
Ronald Heath’s legal team attempted to challenge his execution, arguing mismanagement of the state’s death penalty processes and questioning the jury’s unanimous recommendation for the death penalty. Their appeals were ultimately denied by the Florida Supreme Court last week. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing the execution to proceed.
In 2025, Florida led the nation with the most executions, with a total of 47 people put to death across the United States. Following Heath, two more executions in Florida are already scheduled for February and March. Melvin Trotter, 65, is set to be executed on February 24, and Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled a week later on March 3.
All executions in Florida are conducted using a three-drug protocol that includes a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug that induces cardiac arrest, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. The future of the death penalty in Florida remains a topic of intense debate, as advocacy groups continue to challenge its use on ethical grounds.