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ORLANDO, Fla. - Following a record year for executions in Florida, the state is preparing to carry out its first execution of 2026.
The case has renewed debate over capital punishment as additional executions are already scheduled in the coming weeks.
The backstory:
Ronald Heath, 64, is scheduled to be executed Tuesday for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan in Alachua County.
Court records say Sheridan was shot, stabbed and robbed in a wooded area south of Gainesville. Heath’s execution would be the first carried out in Florida this year after the state put 19 people to death in 2025, a modern-era record.
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The crime occurred in 1989, and Heath was later convicted and sentenced to death. Florida carried out 19 executions last year, surpassing its previous modern-era high of eight executions in 1984 and 2014. Two additional executions are scheduled in Florida over the next month, according to state records.
What they're saying:
Death penalty opponents, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, have urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to commute Heath’s sentence to life in prison.
Ronald Heath is scheduled Tuesday to be the first person put to death in 2026, for a 1989 murder in Alachua County. [Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections]
"We want to speak up for the value of human life," said Joseph Harmon, associate for policy coordination for the conference. "It doesn’t mean forgetting about the victim, but also recognizing that God doesn’t forget about anyone, no matter how grave the crime they committed."
Big picture view:
Florida has emerged as one of the nation’s most active states in carrying out executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
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The pace of executions has drawn national attention and criticism from religious and anti-death-penalty groups, even as state leaders continue to defend capital punishment as justice for victims and their families.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the News Service of Florida.