Lee County Sheriff's Office (Florida): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:27, 3 January 2008
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is located in Fort Myers, Florida. The Office of the Sheriff has a duty to enforce both the Florida State Constitution and Florida State Statutes, and to provide for the security, safety and well being of its citizens. This is accomplished through the delivery of law enforcement services, the operation of the Lee County Jail, and the provision of court security. The Office of the Sheriff functions as the Executive Officer of the court.
When Mike Scott was appointed to lead the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 31, he became just the 12th sheriff to oversee the agency since 1887. He now stands ready to create a legacy of his own.
Scott trounced first-term incumbent Rod Shoap by a 62 percent to 38 percent margin in the August 2004 GOP primary after a bitter 16-month campaign. Write-in candidate Louis Orlando withdrew from the race in September, making Scott the official winner.
More than 1,600 law enforcement personnel and citizens gathered Jan. 4 at McGregor Baptist Church to observe Scott’s formal oath of office ceremony. The Honorable Judge R. Wallace Pack administered the oath of office, eliciting a rousing applause from the audience. Scott’s first official duties were to swear in Chief Deputy Charles J. Ferrante, agency employees and volunteers.
The new sheriff had Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and Southwest Florida resident Rickey Medlocke as master of ceremonies. A self-described “hard-core Southern rocker,” Scott found it fitting that he heard the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Give Me Back My Bullets” while driving home at 3 a.m. on election night.
The 1981 North Fort Myers High graduate and third-generation Lee County native has seen many changes over the years. His family’s local roots began in 1910, when his grandfather moved to Lee County from New York. Scott, 41, still lives in North Fort Myers with his wife, Krista, 40, and daughters, Lindsay, 16, and Mackenzie, 13.
He calls growth the best and worst thing that has happened to Lee County. Growth has enabled the Sheriff’s Office to increase its resources and provide necessary services to its residents. It also has taxed the county’s infrastructure and choked its roadways.