Florida executed a man Thursday who was convicted of raping and killing his former manager at a convenience store in 1988, marking the state’s record 17th execution this year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office told The Associated Press that 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after receiving a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.

A year later, in 1989, Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft and sentenced to death.

A spokesperson for the governor said there were no complications during the procedure and that Randolph had no last words.

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Randolph woke at 6:30 a.m. and later ate a cheeseburger, fries and ice cream, according to a state Department of Corrections official. He had one visitor during the day but did not meet with a spiritual advisor.

Three members of the victim’s family were expected to attend the execution, which began around 6 p.m.

Randolph’s death extended Florida’s record for executions in a single year to 17.

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and, until now, the highest annual total in Florida was eight in 2014.

Court records show Randolph tried to break into a safe at a Palatka convenience store in August 1988, according to the AP. Randolph, a former employee, was spotted by manager Minnie Ruth McCollum, and the two struggled.

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Randolph beat, strangled, stabbed and raped McCollum before fleeing the store in her car.

Three women saw Randolph leaving and called the sheriff’s office after noticing the store was in disarray.

A responding deputy found McCollum still alive and took her to a hospital, where she remained in a coma. She died six days later of severe brain injuries, doctors said.

Randolph was arrested soon after at a Jacksonville grocery store while trying to borrow money and cash in stolen lottery tickets. Investigators said he admitted to the attack and led them to bloody clothing he had discarded.

The Florida Supreme Court last week denied Randolph’s appeal to overturn his conviction. He argued the lower court abused its discretion by denying him access to public records and that his lawyers acted without his consent.

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Florida has carried out more executions than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each. Two more executions are planned next month under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. DeSantis.

Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is scheduled for Florida’s 18th execution Dec. 9. He was convicted of fatally stabbing a woman during a home invasion robbery.

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Frank Athen Walls, 58, will become Florida’s 19th executed prisoner on Dec. 18. He was convicted of fatally shooting a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery and later confessed to three other killings.

Florida’s lethal injections use a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Mississippi’s top law enforcement officer said the Magnolia State will welcome ICE agents with open arms compared to their clashes with public officials in California, Illinois and North Carolina – as reports surfaced of an upcoming “Swamp Sweep.”

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to send 250 border agents to areas in Mississippi and Louisiana for a two-month crackdown, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told Fox News Digital on Thursday that her office is proud to have been the first in the state to sign on as a formal ICE law enforcement partner.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Noem and the president to protect our communities and strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking, drug cartels, and violent crime,” Fitch said.

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“Together, we will make Mississippi – and our entire nation – safer than ever before.”

Another top Mississippi official, U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee for Border Security and Enforcement.

Guest’s district runs close to New Orleans, spanning diagonally from Starkville – home of Mississippi State University – down to McComb, just north of the New Orleans metro, where the operation will reportedly have a key focus.

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“The men and women of ICE and CBP have been tasked with enforcing the law and working to remove the 15 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States,” Guest told Fox News Digital.

Guest praised ICE for successfully removing unlawfully present people charged and convicted of serious crimes, including offenses against children and suspects who pose a danger to local communities.

“I am confident that Operation ‘Swamp Sweep’ will have the same success as other operations across our nation,” Guest said.

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“This will result in locating, arresting, and deporting criminal illegal aliens who are residing in Mississippi.”

Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss. – who represents Memphis’ southern suburbs as well as Elvis Presley’s hometown of Tupelo – told Fox News Digital he also supports ICE’s mission.

“I am in favor of getting any criminal illegal immigrant off the streets,” Kelly said.

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“And I support law enforcement in their efforts to keep our communities safe.”

When asked about the “Swamp Sweep” mission, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said her agency does not discuss future or potential operations.

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“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country,” she said.

In prior ICE operations, DHS was buffeted by official and legal roadblocks tossed in their way by local leaders.

California officials condemned President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard, while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly conceived “No ICE” zones and compared Trump’s government to the Confederacy.

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves did not respond to requests for comment on “Swamp Sweep.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi’s most prominent Democrat and Trump critic, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Hinds County, but he did not respond to a request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A high school assistant principal in Virginia and his brother are accused of threatening violence against ICE agents and local police officers.

According to court documents, an off-duty Norfolk Police Department officer overheard John Bennett and Mark Bennett at a Virginia Beach restaurant discussing the alleged threats, saying they “needed to do something about” ICE agents “kidnapping individuals,” according to WVEC. John Bennett is the assistant principal at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach.

The off-duty police officer allegedly overheard the two brothers while eating at a pho restaurant on Nov. 15. 

According to the criminal complaint, Mark Bennett said he was planning on flying to Las Vegas where he’d meet with “like-minded individuals” and come back with “enforcement ideas and plans.”

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The two brothers were charged with conspiracy to commit malicious wounding.

Mark Bennett also said he recently bought an assault rifle as it can fire rounds that would pierce through body armor, then said he wanted to “go hunting,” according to prosecutors.

Mark Bennett allegedly said he bought the assault rifle because “it utilizes the explosive rounds that are needed to penetrate the vests,” according to WTKR.

John Bennett allegedly expressed support of Mark’s ideas and was interested in going to Las Vegas as well.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools told the news outlet that John Bennett is employed at the school district, where he has worked since 2009. While the school district wouldn’t comment on the allegations, a spokesperson said he is on leave from Kempsville High School.

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Attorneys for the suspects said Mark Bennett went to Las Vegas for a Formula 1 race, where he met up with his two sons. The defense attorneys said Mark Bennett was arrested at the Norfolk International Airport. 

Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul W. Neudigate called the allegations “incredibly alarming.”

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“We are grateful this information was brought to our attention. VBPD was able to work with various law enforcement agencies to assess the credibility of the information, leading to today’s arrests, ensuring the safety of both our law enforcement community and the public at large,” Neudigate said.

The Bennett brothers were granted bond, but can’t talk to each other, cannot have guns and must stay at their home with a GPS tracker.

Happy O’Brien, Mark Bennett’s attorney, told Fox News Digital “this case represents a gross overreach by the government.”

“The arrest was triggered by incredibly flimsy, circumstantial information attributed to an off-duty Norfolk police officer who was sitting several booths away in a restaurant on a weekend. Despite the obvious limitations of what he claims to have observed, law enforcement treated these statements as if they were verified fact,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien alleges that federal and law enforcement “took virtually no steps to verify, corroborate or even meaningfully assess the credibility of these claims.”

“If you, as an American citizen, believe that something like this cannot happen to you, think again. Mark Bennett is the embodiment of what it means to be an American,” he said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Bennett’s attorneys and Virginia Beach City Public Schools for comment.