A member of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office since 1976, Sheriff Robert E. Hansell has spent his entire law enforcement career with the agency. He began as a deputy sheriff and earned promotions to the rank of captain. He has served as a member and commander of the agency’s SWAT team, and as the high-risk incident commander. Prior to being elected Sheriff of Osceola County, Bob Hansell had worked in, supervised and managed virtually every area of the agency.

Born and raised in Osceola County, Sheriff Hansell graduated from Osceola High School and the J.C. Stone Law Enforcement Academy. He is a graduate of the 109th Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.

Sheriff Hansell serves as the co-chair of the Florida Region 5 Domestic Security Task Force. He is a member of the Kissimmee and St. Cloud Chambers of Commerce and the St. Cloud High School Athletics Booster Club. He is very involved in Flee To Be Free and the Special Olympics. Sheriff Hansell is a past chairman of the Sheriff’s Office United Way campaign. He sits on the board of directors of the following organizations: Osceola County Council on Aging, Osceola County Investigative Bureau, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, Technical Education Center of Osceola (TECO), Give Kids Safe Shelter, Boys and Girls Club, Osceola Regional Area Council, Park Place Behavioral, Florida Hospital, Community Vision, YMCA, and Crimeline.

Commissioner Holloway was elected to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners in 2006. In his first term he serves on the following boards/committees:

• Florida Association of Counties, Board of Directors

• Small County Coalition, Executive Committee

• Florida Association of Counties Trust, Vice Chairman

• Northeast Florida Workforce Consortium, Vice Chairman

• Nassau County Economic Development Board, Ex-officio

• National Association of Counties, Steering Committee for Rural and Agricultural Affair

• Nassau County Board of County Commissioners, Past Chairman

Commissioner Holloway has completed the Florida Association of Counties’ Advanced Certified County Commissioner education program of specialized training for Florida’s county commissioners.

Prior to serving as county commissioner representing Nassau County’s fourth district, Commissioner Holloway was self-employed.

Commissioner Holloway is a native Floridian and lives in Bryceville with his wife. The Holloways have two children and one grandchild.  He and his family are active in coaching, sports, church and community activities.

Judge Robert M. Foster has been Administrative Judge of Nassau County,
Florida since 1994. He received his law degree from Indiana University in 1979 and practiced law in Jacksonville, Florida until his appointment as a Circuit Judge in 1988.

Judge Foster has been a member of The Florida Bar's Civil Procedure Rules Committee and Chairman of the Committee on Rules of Juvenile Procedure. He was also Chairman of the YMCA of Florida's First Coast and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Jacksonville Areal Legal Aid, Inc., Youth Leadership Jacksonville, Athletes for Jacksonville Foundation, the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair and the Boys' Home Association. He has also served as a member of The Duval County School Board Law Advisory Committee, Mayor's Victim Assistance Advisory Council and the Domestic Violence Intervention Project. He has received the Judicial Advocate Award from the Guardian ad Litem and the outstanding Member of the Judiciary from the Jacksonville Jaycees. In 2010, the Nassau County American Inn of Court was renamed the Robert M. Foster Inn of Court in his honor.

Judge Foster has been married for 35 years to Sharon Kennedy Foster and they have two grown children Robert and Edward.

For the past five years, Mr. Dennis has been the Inspector General of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  Before his appointment, he was known as the longtime spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on statewide issues involving its programs and services.  He has served as the Department’s Administrator of Public Information and Special Programs, D.A.R.E. Statewide Coordinator, D.A.R.E. Regional Coordinator, Special Agent, Special Agent Supervisor, and Accreditation Manager.  Before joining the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Mr. Dennis was a Field Representative Supervisor for the Florida Commission on Human Relations and an officer with the Tallahassee Police Department.

Mr. Dennis is noted for his community service.  He sits on the board of directors of the Tallahassee Police Department Police Athletic League, and the Tallahassee Community College Alumni Association.  He was a member of the Florida Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Council and the Governor’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency.  His professional affiliations include the National and Tallahassee Chapters of the Association of Inspectors General and the Tallahassee Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors.  He is also a member of the Gamma Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and the Alpha Education and Leadership Foundation.  Additionally, he served as a past president of the Florida State University Black Alumni Association.

Mr. Dennis graduated from Tallahassee Community College in 1973.  He received his Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Florida State University, and is a graduate of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Foundational Leadership Program and Special Agent Academy.  He is also a Certified Master Facilitator and a graduate of Leadership Tallahassee, Class 18.

He has received numerous recognitions for his accomplishments.  He received the 2002 Commissioner’s Award from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, NAACP Black Achiever Award, Jackson County Alcohol and other Drug Prevention Partnership Excellence Award, New Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church Community Service Award and Alpha Man of the Year.

Sheriff Deryl Loar is a third generation Floridian.  He was born and raised in central Florida where he attended and graduated from Florida public schools.  Sheriff Loar holds a Bachelors Degree in Public Administration.   

Deryl began his Law Enforcement career with the Florida Highway Patrol over twenty years ago.  He has been stationed from Jacksonville to Key West.  His tenure with the Florida Highway Patrol culminated with him being assigned to the Treasure Coast as the District Commander for over ten years. 

In 2008, he was elected Sheriff of Indian River County.

Deryl has been married for twenty years.  He and his wife are raising two young sons in Vero Beach where the boys attend public schools.

Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. is a sixth generation native of Walton County, Florida and is a 1988 graduate of Walton Senior High School. Upon graduation, Sheriff Adkinson continued his education at Florida State University where he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology in December 1992. Sheriff Adkinson is a graduate of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Chief Executive Seminar #40.

Sheriff Adkinson is an 18-year law enforcement veteran, having previously worked with the Florida Department of Corrections, Bureau of Parole, The Tallahassee Police Department, and the DeFuniak Springs Police Department. Sheriff Adkinson has continued his criminal justice education by attending over 2,000 hours of law enforcement training and has served as an adjunct instructor at The Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, which is one of the nations premier law enforcement academies. Sheriff Adkinson has also lectured at the University level on law enforcement issues.

In September 2005, the DeFuniak Springs City Council appointed Sheriff Adkinson as City Marshal/ Chief of Police for the DeFuniak Springs City Police Department. In April 2007, he returned to this position through the City's general election by an impressive 68% of the vote.

During his term at the DeFuniak Springs Police Department, he implemented that agency's first policy and procedures manual. Sheriff Adkinson became an accreditation manger and started the agency on the accreditation process. Sheriff Adkinson instituted formalized training procedures to help professionalize the agency. He was able to increase the number of officers and raise the salaries to competitive levels. Sheriff Adkinson formed a citizens advisory committee made up of local residents and business owners to help provided input into departmental operations In 2007, he was also selected to serve on the Ethics Committee for the Florida Police Chief's Association, marking the first time a Walton County law enforcement officer has served in that capacity.

In November 2008, Sheriff Adkinson was elected as Walton County Sheriff, taking 44% (in a field of 7) of the vote in the Primary Election, and 64% of the vote in the General Election. Sheriff Adkinson took office January 1, 2009. 

In his first year in office Sheriff Adkinson implemented many changes that created a significant cost savings for the agency. He reestablished the agency’s SWAT Team and dedicated two full-time warrants/fugitive deputy positions to tackle the caseload of over 8000 warrants that remained from the previous administration. He has begun the first Environmental Enforcement Program and updated the Agency’s Aviation Program with more training hours, enhanced maintenance and up to date equipment. The Agency received a grant in the amount of $818,728.54 to fully fund a Crime Scene Unit. This is the largest grant ever awarded to the Agency. Sheriff Adkinson assumed the operations of both 911/Joint Communications and Emergency Management for the county in June 2009. Sheriff Adkinson has approved fifty new general orders replacing an antiquated policy manual. Sheriff Adkinson has started the agency on the accreditation process and anticipates the completion of the process in early 2012.

Sheriff Adkinson was appointed to the Florida Sheriff’s Association Legislative Committee in October 2009. Sheriff Adkinson acts as the liaison between Walton, Washington, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, and Calhoun counties and the FSA for legislative issues within their perspective counties. Sheriff Adkinson was also selected as the Co-Chair of the Region one (1) Regional Domestic Security Task Force. This is an establishment made up of critical partnerships of first responders across the state. These partnerships play an integral role in the refinement of Florida’s Domestic Security Strategy.

Sheriff Adkinson has been married to his wife, Erin, for 17 years and has two beautiful daughters, Annabelle and Ava. All of whom reside in DeFuniak Springs. The Adkinson family is members of the First Baptist Church of DeFuniak Springs. Sheriff Adkinson is an active member of the Parent Teacher Organization at West DeFuniak Elementary School and is a member of the Kiwanis Club.  Sheriff Adkinson and his wife also are active in raising awareness of Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes and established a support group, Emerald Coast Type 1, to reach out to other local families who have children with the disease.

Sheriff Susan Benton, a 5th generation Floridian, was born and raised in Miami-Dade County. Following in the footsteps of her great grandfather who served as Chief of Police in St. Augustine, Florida during the early 1920’s, Sheriff Benton has served, with distinction in law enforcement for more than 30 years. She has served "in the trenches" shoulder-to-shoulder with her fellow deputies and has risen through the ranks by gaining the respect and trust of her colleagues, superiors, agency members, and community. Sheriff Benton has two grown children and three grand children. Sheriff Benton is Catholic and very active in her community and family.

Sheriff Benton has an Associates of Arts degree from Miami Dade Community College, a Bachelor of Arts Administration of Justice from St. Thomas University, a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy State University, and is a Certified Public Manager from Florida State University.  She has attended numerous advanced and specialized law enforcement training 100+ courses including: National Sheriff’s Institute, 2007; F.B.I’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Training, 2008; Center for Task Force Training, 2004; Florida Counterdrug Training Academy Certificate 2004; Florida Sheriff’s Association Diversified Training, 2003, 2004 2005, 2007; Florida Sheriff’s Association Executive Training, 2004; ICMA University Community Planning 2005; Early Identification and Intervention Strategies, 2005; FEMA National Incident Management System Certificate, 2005; Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute Chief Executive, 2005; Domestic Security Certificate, 2005; USAF Special Operations Dynamics of International Terrorism, 2006, 2007; FEMA National Response Plan, 2006; Advanced Incident System Certificate, 2006; Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training – Missing and Exploited Children Chief Executive Officer Training, 2007; FBI Law Enforcement Executive development Seminar 2008.

Ken Small, as he is known across the State, has lived in Florida since 1958.  Upon his father’s retirement from the United State’s Air Force from Eglin AFB in Okaloosa County, his family moved to Port St. Joe, FL, where he attended first through twelfth grade, and graduated from PSJHS in 1971. 

He attended Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in 1973. He then attended Florida State University in Tallahassee and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Macroeconomics in 1975.

Immediately following graduation from FSU, the City of Port St. Joe offered him the opportunity to learn how to run and operate a municipal government.  Prior to his 24th birthday in 1976, Ken was hired by the City of Mulberry, FL, as their City Manager, making him the youngest City Manager in the country.  In 1978, he chose to relocate back to Tallahassee, and served in several administrative capacities under Leon County’s Board of County Commissioners in Public Works Administration and the Office of Management and Budget.

By the end of 1984, he was recruited and hired by the Florida League of Cities to handle a variety areas including the League’s economist, finance and taxation lobbyist, and to function as the executive director of the Florida City and County Management Association.  Over the past 25 years, Ken has represented Florida’s 411 incorporated municipalities in a wide variety of capacities, including 12 sessions before the Florida Legislature as a registered lobbyist.  He serves as the League’s expert in a number of municipal operations and functions, including revenue enhancement and law enforcement/public safety.

Since 1994, Ken has served on the faculty of the Advanced Institute of Elected Municipal Officials.  The Advanced Institute, jointly developed by the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government and the Florida League of Cities, provides elected municipal officials with an intensive academic program to assist them in effectively meeting the requirements of their elected role.