Florida to carry out first 2026 execution: Ronald Heath scheduled for 1989 Alachua County murder

STARKE, Fla. - Following a record 19 executions in Florida last year, Ronald Heath is scheduled Tuesday to be the first person put to death in 2026, for a 1989 murder in Alachua County. 

Heath, 64, is scheduled to be executed for the murder of Michael Sheridan, who was shot, stabbed and robbed in a wooded area south of Gainesville, according to documents from the Florida Supreme Court. 

Two more executions are also scheduled over the next month.  

Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections

The other side:

Death Penalty opponents, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops have urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to commute Heath’s sentence to life in prison — as it has done with other inmates executed last year.

READ: Florida man convicted of killing 2 during home invasion executed, marking 19th for state in 2025

"We want to speak up for the value of human life. 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," said Joseph Harmon, associate for policy coordinator for the conference.

Timeline:

Before 2025, Florida’s previous modern-era record for executions in a year was eight in 1984 and 2014. 

The modern era represents the time since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, after a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision halted it.