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Man convicted of killing a traveling salesman scheduled for 1st Florida execution of 2026
Ronald Heath's execution marks Florida's first in 2026 after a record 19 executions in 2025; appeals cited mental health and protocol issues but were denied.
- On Tuesday, Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, is scheduled to receive a three-drug lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, Florida's first scheduled execution of 2026 after a record 19 last year.
- Heath was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and related charges in the May 1989 killing of Michael Sheridan after meeting him at a Gainesville bar.
- The Florida Supreme Court denied Heath's appeals last week after his attorneys argued mismanagement of death-penalty protocols, a secretive state clemency process, and jurors' unanimity claims.
- Two more Florida executions are already scheduled while Florida clergy tolled bells and activists plan protests, as officials press ahead with the death penalty.
- Heath still has similar appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, which could prompt further federal review as 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025.
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Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was executed in Florida on Tuesday after being sentenced to death in 1990 for the murder of traveling salesman Michael Sheridan during a robbery. Florida carried out a record 19 executions last year.
Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was executed in Florida on Tuesday, US media reported. It was the first execution in Florida, which carried out a record 19 executions last year, ABC television reported.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources62
Leaning Left22Leaning Right5Center23Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
46% Center
L 44%
C 46%
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