This is my first opportunity to address readers as the president of the Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association, and I could not be prouder of what this organization stands for and what has been accomplished. Thanks to the leadership of past presidents Sheriff Rick Staly and Sheriff AJ Smith, the last two years have seen great growth in membership and generosity to our deputies and other team members of sheriffs’ offices across the state.
We are now 24,000 members strong with new counties being added, providing more deputies with paid legal assistance when they need it most. Just days before writing this column, we arrived on-scene 40 minutes after a shooting in Holmes County to assist Sheriff Tate and his deputy involved in the event. Unless you have experienced it, it is hard to understand the value of that kind of support from an organization.
We were also actively involved in providing assistance following the landfall and destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia in August. The storm ripped through a path that had not taken a direct hit in more than 100 years. FDSA was there in force working with the sheriffs and deputies in Taylor, Dixie, Madison, Lafayette, Suwannee and Hamilton counties. Through FDSA and our generous partners, 40 generators and 300 gallons of gas were delivered to the homes of member deputies who needed them.
Many thanks to Franklin County Sheriff AJ Smith, Zack Dunlap with Inspired Technologies and Lisa Brown, the CEO of Loyalty Credit Union, for their donations and coordinating the deliveries. This was a true team effort.
Finally, I am excited to announce the addition of John Creamer, retired chief deputy, as our deputy executive director. It will be a pleasure working with John to serve you.
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