Candidate: Tico Salgado

From Miami to Hendry County, Tico grew up in Hendry County. He was educated in Clewiston Public Schools. He is the son of Zoila Salgado and the late Roberto Salgado. Tico and his wife Ana, will be married 17 years this July and live in Clewiston, FL. They have three amazing children. 

In 1993 Tico's parents separated and his mother brought him and his younger sister, Jessica, to Clewiston. She wanted them to grow up knowing what it is like to grow up in a small tight knit community. At the early age of 15 Tico was forced to take on the responsibilities of an adult. His single mother was injured at work and could no longer support the family financially. Tico, knowing that there was no other choice, selflessly began working two part time jobs. Due to his young age, no one would hire him full time. 

Tico began to fail in school as he was exhausted from work and could no longer stay awake or focus in class. He refused to let any of his teachers know what his family was going through in fear that he and his younger sister would be taken from his mother. After hearing time and time again that he would never amount to anything he finally, at the age of 17, decided to drop out of school and take on 2 full time jobs to continue to care for his mother and younger sister. 

When his family was finally settled he attempted to re-enroll in the Clewiston High School and Graduate but was turned away due to his age. Devastated, he confided in one of his past teachers, Mr. Bolan, he told Tico that this was not failure. It was simply his First Attempt In Learning and that there were other options available to him. From that day forward Tico never looked at the word FAIL the same. Mr. Bolan convinced Tico to go out and get his GED. 

At the age of 23 Tico opened a family restaurant "Tico's Spanish Cuisine" in Moore Haven, FL. Although the business was doing great his dreams were leading him down a different path. Tico soon received his GED and began on the road to the career of his dreams. Working a full time job and running the family restaurant Tico finally decided to sell the restaurant in 2007. 

Tico was forced to become a man at an early age and has learned the importance of never taking anything for granted and never giving up. He has always fought for what he believes in and will fight for this County the same. 

Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream that no one can see but you.

A message from Tico:

Join me in creating a safer, unified community. We can make a difference in the community when we pull together and become one, one community with one vision.

I encourage you to take the time to get to know me. You will find out quickly that I will not let you down. It's as easy as scheduling an appointment through my website: www.ticoforsheriff.com or finding me on many social media sites by searching @ticoforsheriff.

I am committed to improving community relations. We must increase public outreach and interaction. To do this, our deputies need to learn to treat everyone as if they are dealing with one of their own. We need to lose the perception that everyone you don't know is a criminal. In my eyes, we are all family and this county is ours. When the agency along with the community becomes more family oriented this is when we become one. 

Our children need a safe place to learn, play, and grow up. They are our future; their safety should be top priority with no questions asked. I will work tirelessly to find a way to make our schools safer. Our elderly and veterans need to know that we have not forgotten their journey and that we will continue to honor and protect them. 

Give me the opportunity to lead this department and improve employee morale, we need to remind them that they are valued and appreciated. We need to better coordinate our efforts with all of our First-Responder brothers and sisters. We need to show the community that we can work well with other agencies in this and other counties. At the end of the day we all have one goal and that is public safety no matter the color of the uniform.

I promise you that I will never get comfortable in my duties as Sheriff. I will never give up on our beautiful county and I will always strive to make Hendry County the safest county to live in. As your Sheriff, I guarantee that I will lead our community with a shared vision. With 13+ years of law enforcement experience; I want you to know, honest leadership that will work for the community does exist and it will begin with me. Remember to vote Tico for Hendry County Sheriff 2020.