The state of Florida has scheduled its first execution of 2026 for February 10, when 64-year-old Ronald Heath will be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in the northern part of the state.
The case marks the start of a new year of executions following a historic 2025, in which Florida executed 19 inmates—the highest number since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States.
Who is Ronald Heath and why is he going to be executed?
Ronald Heath was convicted in 1990 of the murder of a street vendor that had occurred a year earlier near Gainesville, Florida. According to court records, Heath and his brother Kenneth Heath shot and stabbed the victim during an attempted robbery.
In addition to the homicide, both faced multiple forgery charges after making payments with the deceased’s credit cards. While Ronald Heath faces the death penalty, his brother Kenneth is serving a life sentence at the Tomoka Correctional Institution in western Florida.
Ron DeSantis signs the execution order
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the order authorizing Heath’s execution, reinforcing his stance in favor of the death penalty in Florida. The state administration has shown no intention of slowing down executions, even after human rights organizations have questioned the accelerated pace of capital sentences.
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Florida broke its execution record in 2025
Ronald Heath’s execution will be the first in Florida in 2026, following an unprecedented year:
- 19 executions in 2025, a historic state record.
- Florida accounted for two out of every five executions carried out in the United States that year.
Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, the annual high for executions in Florida had been eight, a figure reached only in 1984 and 2014.
Legal changes accelerate the death penalty in Florida
Experts point out that the increase in executions is linked to a loosening of the legal criteria for applying the death penalty. Since 2023, Florida has been one of only two states—along with Alabama—where jury unanimity is not required to impose the death penalty.
Currently, only eight out of the twelve jurors need to vote in favor to recommend the death penalty, making Florida the state with the lowest threshold for imposing executions.
Florida death row
Florida currently has 265 inmates on death row, making it the second-highest state in the country in terms of death row population, behind only California, which has over 500 inmates, although it has maintained a moratorium on executions since 2019.
