Candidate: Sal D. Anicito

My name is Sal D. Anicito. I was born in Newark N.J. and grew up in a middle class family with my Mother, Father and two sisters. I was brought up to know the importance of strong Faith, working hard, education and having a strong family value. I graduated from Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren N.J. I played the trumpet in High School and developed a passion for music. I am an avid musician, playing guitar in a band and playing in the Praise Team at Westside Church in Ft. Pierce. I attended Somerset County Vo/Tech Institute in Somerville N.J. where I studied Advertising, Merchandising and Retailing. I am happily married to my wife of 25 years, Jerri, who is a Licensed Practical Nurse. I have a son, Nicholas, who is a Firefighter/Paramedic for the St. Lucie County Fire District. He is married and has three beautiful daughters ages 10, 8 and 5. I have been Blessed with my Family. I served my country in the US Navy for 8 years and rose to the rank of E-5, 2nd Class Petty Officer. I served aboard the USS Charleston LKA-113 as an engineer on Navy Landing Crafts. I served in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, and Caribbean Sea and was involved in the evacuation of Americans from Lebanon during the Lebanese Conflict. I reenlisted in the Navy and was stationed on shore duty in Little Creek Virginia where I supervised a Diesel Engine Unit servicing the Navy’s 6th Fleet. I served aboard the USS Saginaw LST 1188 out of Little Creek, Va. I was awarded 2 Honorable discharges from the Navy and I am proud to be a U.S. Navy Veteran. In 1981 I moved to St. Lucie County to pursue my dream of becoming a Police Officer. I worked a variety of jobs before opening a business in P.S.L. In 1986 I attended the Police Academy at IRCC and in January of 1986 I was sworn in as a Ft. Pierce Police Officer. I quickly became acclimated to the community, taking pride in helping the citizens and making the community safe. I served on Road Patrol, Criminal Investigations and Motor Officer. I served F.P.P.D. well for 12 years (10 active and 2 Reserve) before separating to join the ranks of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. As a Deputy Sheriff, I worked various areas of St. Lucie County and because of my passion for working with youth, I transitioned into the School Resource Unit. In School Resource I quickly became known as “Deputy Sal” by Students, Teachers and Parents. I worked on all levels of schools. I taught the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.E.) to the 5th graders at a variety of schools. I introduced the first D.A.R.E. Carnival to St. Lucie County which produced revenue for the program, was family based and a positive event for our youth and our County. I served as President of the Fl. D.A.R.E. Officers Association overseeing D.A.R.E. programs throughout the State of Florida. Other programs I presented were Stranger/Danger, Halloween Safety, Gun Safety and Bullying Awareness/Prevention. I held the position of D.A.R.E. Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office. I was the Senior Advisor for the Sheriff’s Office Explorer Post. I worked with the Explorers at a variety of Community events, SLC Fair, PRB Rodeo, Navy Seal Muster etc. as well as events fingerprinting children to provide parents with important information needed in case of an emergency. I hosted the first Explorer Conference in St. Lucie County, bringing in over 200 Explorers and Advisors from Sheriff’s Offices throughout the State to participate in a variety of Law Enforcement Competitions. I served the community as a Deputy Sheriff for just over 17 years. I was named Deputy of the Quarter by the Sheriff’s Office as well as receiving Three Distinguished Service Awards and 4 Unit Citations. In 2015 I was named Officer of the Year for the State of Florida by the American Legion Department of State and was also named Officer of the Year by the American Legion Post 318 Port St. Lucie. I was named Officer of the Year in 2012 and 2015 by the Gulfstream Council/Learning For Life as well as receiving the 2015 Leadership Award. I received an AS degree in Criminal Technology in2004. I am adjunct faculty at Indian River State College, teaching recruits attending the Police Academy. Over the past 30 years I have been very involved in our community as a Law Enforcement Officer and have been involved in many youth programs. I am an active member of the American Legion, Elks and Moose. I believe in being the best person you can be, having a strong family value, making good choices and decisions, treating people fairly and doing the right thing. I would love to continue to serve the citizens and youth of St. Lucie County by serving as your St. Lucie County Commissioner.