Candidate: James Melo

Jim has been a member of this community for over 27 years. He moved here upon leaving the U.S. Army after 13 years of honorable service, and a severe leg injury. He is a Disabled Veteran, but you would never know it. Jim joined the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office after vigorous rehab in 1991. Upon completion of the Corrections Academy he worked at the Charlotte County Jail as a Corrections Officer. Beginning at the bottom Jim held every rank from Deputy through Captain. Jim is proud to say that he tested/earned every promotion through Lieutenant. Captain is an appointed position serving at the pleasure of the Sheriff. In 1992 he was selected as Officer of the Year for the Charlotte County Sheriff\'s Office. During his tenure he was recognized for stopping two escape attempts while working within the jail. As the Correction Commander, Jim was credited by the Sheriff for saving the office about one-third of a million dollars. The Sheriff also stated; \" High morale and a spirit of teamwork and team building has returned to the jail\". While serving as Jail Administrator he was publicly recognized for saving the tax payers over $500,000 dollars during the construction of the new jail. He was known as Captain Cost Cutter and Captain Budget Crunch. His motto\'s were \"Do more with less\", and \"Do something with nothing\". Jim has years of experience dealing with multi-million dollar budgets and fiscal management. With over 30 years of Leadership experience and half of those at Command levels Jim has the experience needed to take the Sheriff\'s Office into our challenging future. Jim was terminated from the Charlotte County Sheriff\'s Office as a Captain after a disagreement with the Clement Administration in 2003. The administration did not agree with Jim’s leadership style. Jim applied many of the leadership fundamentals and traits he was taught in the military and applied them in his law enforcement career. These traits and fundamentals were applauded by the past administration (Sheriff Worch) and gained him respect, admiration, and promotions. He received the highest of evaluations from his commanders throughout his career. There were no incidents noted or recorded on his record of any behavior that was contrary to the policies of the Sheriff\'s Office. However, his leadership style was not welcomed by the Clement Administration and he was terminated based on undocumented accusations. Jim has nothing to hide or anything to be ashamed of. As shown here Jim’s integrity is above reproach. Upon leaving the Sheriff’s Office Jim was immediately employed running a Towing Service that was on the Law Enforcement rotation list for almost 9 Years. During this time Jim returned to school to continue his formal education. Upon completion of his Doctorate he and his family opened Jaimie’s Christian Book Nook right here in Charlotte County in 2013. Jim continues to work in the store and is very successful. Jim not only has the experience as indicated by his work history, he has the education to go with it. Jim has over 160 credit hours amongst 3 colleges, in the field of Law Enforcement which exceeds the requirements of a Bachelor’s degree. Jim holds a Bachelor’s in Theology, a Master’s in Christian Ministries, and a Doctorate in Theology with a minor in Christian Counseling. Jim is also a graduate of Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Institute. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute, Command Officers Development Course. He has been certified as a Florida Jail Inspector, and Use of Force Instructor. He is a Graduate of National Institute of Corrections as a Classification Specialist. Jim holds several more certifications too numerous to mention. Jim currently lives in Port Charlotte with his wife Sandy. They have one daughter named Jaimie who is a partner in their local business. Jaimie is also a Veterinary Technician working for a local group of Veterinarians. Jim and Sandy also love to fish, boat, and breed Labrador Retrievers. Jim’s greatest commitment in life is to God. Jim learned through the years to put God first in everything he does. Jim believes life is a gift from God and without God there is no life. In closing Jim would like to leave you with one word that you will hear throughout his campaign. That word is GIFTS. GIFTS with be the basis for Jim’s Campaign. God Integrity Fiscal Management Transparency Service Jim would like to dedicate a Bible verse to each of our Deputies. John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Thank you for taking the time to read this BIO. For more about GIFTS, visit www.meloforsheriff.com May God Bless Each of You Jim Melo, Democrat, For Charlotte County Sheriff.