All saying that it was time for incumbent Sheriff Marcos Lopez to be ousted, four of seven candidates running for Osceola County Sheriff this year gathered at a forum at the Hart Memorial Library in Kissimmee last week.
Candidates Donnie Martinez, Angel R. Rojas, Amaryllis Rivera, and former Sheriff Russ Gibson introduced themselves and set out their visions for the Sheriff’s office, as well as taking sitting Sheriff Marcos Lopez to task.
Although invited, Lopez, along with two other candidates, did not participate.
“I feel like, right now, we here in Osceola we have a fiasco having Mr. Lopez as the sitting Sheriff,” said Rojas, a former teacher and police officer in Puerto Rico. “And it’s commendable that some citizens’ like us come forward, answer questions and try to lead and fix the problem.
“What we have now is a failed administration,” said Russ Gibson, a 32-year career in the Osceola Sheriff’s Office, including serving a term as Sheriff before losing the 2020 Democratic primary to Lopez. Gibson says that during his term, the crime rate was down 30.6 percent according to published Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) stats.
“I’m trying to bring a new look to the Sheriff’s office,” said Donnie Martinez, the only Republican currently in the race. “I want to be able to build the trust back with the public, as well with the officers so we can start uniting and working together to resolve some of these issues. And also give the public a voice, because the public needs to be heard.”
Born and raised in Osceola County, Martinez recently became one of the oldest Police Academy graduates. Martinez noted his priorities as “tools, training and technology,” emphasizing technology as the most important.
“Things are by far worse now than they’ve ever been,” said Amaryllis Rivera, whose 17-year Sheriff’s Office career included supervising the Community Service Officer unit. “We’ve had more officers leave Osceola County Sheriff’s office than any other Sheriff so it’s definitely time. Instead of complaining about it I was like, I’m going to run and I’m going to try to be the change that I want.
“I’ve noticed the integrity of the agency go down,” Rivera said. “(Lopez) is going around saying crime is down 7 percent and that’s not true.”
While united on the need to oust Lopez, differences among those present came out on a question about the need for criminal justice experience to be Sheriff–Florida law does not require any special background to run for or be elected Sheriff. Martinez emphasized that the issue is really one of management, and that someone without a long history of criminal work may bring an outsiders viewpoint that could be helpful. Rojas stated that anyone with the proper management experience could be the Sheriff, because the position is really a management position, not an enforcement position. And Gibson pointed out that, while it’s important for a Sheriff to have competent people around to advise them, it’s actual experience that gives a Sheriff the knowledge of which advice to follow.
Another issue raised was the May 2022 deadly shooting incident outside a Kissimmee Target store when attempting to make an arrest on a misdemeanor theft charge. All agreed changes had to be made to training methods as well as a review of policies surrounding the apprehension of people suspected of committing a misdemeanor.
The Democratic Primary will be held Aug. 20. The ballot also currently includes former Sheriff ’s personnel Wiley Black and Luis “Tony” Fernandez, The primary winner will face Martinez and write-in candidate Tim Devine on Nov. 5.
