A man convicted of killing a Tampa Bay-area grocery store owner during a robbery is set to become Florida’s second execution of 2026. A death warrant was signed Friday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed off on a record 19 executions last year. Melvin Trotter is scheduled to die by lethal injection Feb. 24 at Florida State Prison. DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions. Trotter was initially convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987. The Florida Supreme Court later ordered a new sentencing, and Trotter was resentenced to death in 1993.
