The Florida Supreme Court denied all final appeals from death row inmate Ronald Palmer Heath on February 3, 2026, clearing the way for his scheduled execution on February 10, 2026. The court rejected Heath's second successive motion for postconviction relief, public records requests, habeas corpus petition, and motion for a stay of execution in a per curiam decision.
Heath was sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of Michael Sheridan in Gainesville in 1989. According to the court's summary of facts from the direct appeal, Heath and his younger brother Kenneth had driven to Gainesville to visit friends who worked as waitresses at the Purple Porpoise Lounge. On the evening of May 24, 1989, the brothers met Sheridan, a traveling salesman who had come to the lounge for drinks and dinner.
The encounter began seemingly innocuously when Sheridan bought the Heath brothers a drink and asked if they ever got high or had marijuana. Heath then suggested to his brother Kenneth that they take Sheridan somewhere and rob him, and Kenneth agreed to the plan. The three men left the bar in Kenneth's vehicle, which Heath drove to an isolated area of Alachua County, where he parked on a dirt road.
The case represents the culmination of decades of appeals following Heath's conviction and death sentence for Sheridan's murder. Heath filed his appeals under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851, which governs postconviction relief motions in capital cases, and Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.852, which addresses public records requests in death penalty cases.
In death penalty cases, Florida law provides multiple avenues for review and appeal. Defendants typically file direct appeals following conviction and sentencing, followed by postconviction relief motions that can raise issues such as ineffective assistance of counsel, newly discovered evidence, or constitutional violations. The rules also allow for public records requests to obtain documents that might support appeals.
Heath's case involved what the court described as a "second successive" motion for postconviction relief, indicating he had previously filed and exhausted other postconviction motions. Courts generally apply heightened scrutiny to successive postconviction motions, requiring defendants to meet strict procedural requirements and demonstrate compelling reasons for revisiting their cases.
The Florida Supreme Court has jurisdiction over death penalty cases under Article V, Section 3(b)(1) and (9) of the Florida Constitution. This jurisdiction includes reviewing trial court decisions on postconviction motions, considering habeas corpus petitions challenging the legality of detention, and ruling on motions to stay executions.
In rejecting Heath's appeals, the court affirmed the circuit court's decision to summarily deny his postconviction relief motion and public records requests. A summary denial indicates the trial court found the motion legally insufficient on its face, without requiring an evidentiary hearing or further proceedings.
The court also denied Heath's petition for a writ of habeas corpus, a constitutional remedy that allows prisoners to challenge the legality of their detention. Habeas corpus petitions in death penalty cases often raise claims about constitutional violations, jurisdictional defects, or fundamental errors that rendered the conviction or sentence invalid.
Additionally, the court denied Heath's motion for a stay of execution. Stay motions typically argue that pending legal proceedings, newly discovered evidence, or constitutional issues warrant postponing the execution while courts resolve outstanding questions. The denial of the stay motion means Heath's execution can proceed as scheduled on February 10, 2026.
The per curiam decision means the court issued the ruling as a whole rather than attributing it to a specific justice. Per curiam opinions are common in death penalty cases involving procedural motions and appeals that do not raise novel legal questions requiring extended analysis.
Heath's case illustrates the extensive appellate process in capital punishment cases, which typically involves years or decades of review through multiple courts and procedures. Florida law provides numerous opportunities for defendants to challenge their convictions and sentences, but courts apply increasingly strict standards to successive appeals to prevent indefinite delays in carrying out lawfully imposed sentences.
The case docket shows two separate case numbers before the Florida Supreme Court: SC2026-0112 for Heath's appeal against the State of Florida, and SC2026-0113 for his petition against the Secretary of the Department of Corrections. This dual filing structure is typical in death penalty cases, where defendants often pursue multiple legal avenues simultaneously.
With the denial of all pending appeals and the stay motion, Heath's execution is set to proceed as scheduled on February 10, 2026, absent any last-minute interventions from federal courts or the governor. The case underscores the finality that courts eventually impose in death penalty cases after exhaustive appellate review.