Candidate: Vincent Everett

Hello all, my name is Vince Everett, and I am applying to be the next Sheriff of Gulf County. First, I would like to give a brief introduction for those who do not know me. I was born in Port St. Joe, and have lived all of my life in Gulf County. I have lived mostly in Port St. Joe, where I graduated high school in 1991, but have also resided in Wewahitchka. After high school, I worked for a time in land clearing and improvement, then a brief time with a contracted construction company at the paper mill. Also in 1991, I joined Port St. Joe Volunteer Fire Department, and remained with them for many years. In 1993, I joined Gulf County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, a volunteer support agency for the Sheriff’s Office. Once I learned that I could ride along with on-duty deputies, I began to understand where my future lay. In 1995, I joined the Gulf County Sheriff’s Auxiliary as a volunteer uniformed deputy. In 1996 I graduated from the Chipola Junior College Law Enforcement Academy, and shortly thereafter, successfully passed the State of Florida Law Enforcement Exam and became a certified Law Enforcement Officer. I then moved to the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office Reserve unit, and began volunteering as a fully certified deputy, assisting in whatever ways were needed. Throughout most of 1997, I worked as a dispatcher for Gulf County Sheriff’s Office; this included answering the 911 system, sending out appropriate first responders for fire service, EMS and law enforcement. In late 1997, I was hired on as a full time deputy sheriff. I worked for Gulf County Sheriff’s Office though July, 2006. On August 1, 2006, I began work for Port St. Joe Police Department as a police officer. Although I appreciated the time I spent at PSJPD, in May, 2018, I returned to Gulf County Sheriff’s Office, where my heart truly was. In late 2020, I decided it was time to seek another direction in life, and retired from active law enforcement. I spent some time working for Bayside Lumber and Building Supply, then acquired my commercial driver license and began driving a truck for a local company called Captain’s Containers.

I spent many years serving the citizens of Gulf County, and would love the privilege of doing so again. Over the years of communicating with, and listening to, the citizens of this great county, I believe they deserve the best they can get, and certainly what they are paying for. I believe there are worthy goals that need to be met, and will work together with other elected officials to achieve those goals. I believe there should be a level of transparency involved with the operation of any law enforcement agency, and would work toward making that a reality. I also strongly believe in working together with our communities to address issues that are unique to the differing locales of our county.

There are many things that can be done to make our county better and safer. I encourage the voters of this county to contact me and let us discuss the issues that are important to you all. Very few problems can be solved overnight, but there are even fewer problems that cannot be solved with the proper planning and effort. I ask you to give me a chance to make changes for the better.