Sarasota Sheriff Tom Knight won’t run for reelection in 2020

Sarasota Sheriff Tom Knight announced he will not run for re-election next year.

First elected in 2008, Knight is credited with transforming the sheriff’s office into a model of progressive law enforcement, developing a strategic plan within his first 100 days in office designed to tackle rising crime rates while having to decrease resources at the outbreak of the Great Recession.

His model, strategies and leadership led to a 52-percent reduction in major crimes since he was sworn into office, in January of 2009, according to the sheriff’s office.

It wasn’t just on the streets of Sarasota County that Knight focused his efforts. A major part of his focus was on jailed inmates, recognizing many had mental illness or substance abuse issues. Knight partnered with the Salvation Army to create the first jail-based addiction recovery program in the southeast.

The program was so successful, it was featured on a Fox News report with Geraldo Rivera and has expanded due to its success to address struggling veterans.

Knight also took on the “pill mills” by helping pass local legislation designed to disrupt such businesses. That ordinance became a model for the state and inspired federal legislation in 2018 that gave the Drug Enforcement Administration the authority to reduce manufacturing quotas for controlled substances.

Knight also launched the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy, advisory boards and worked closely with faith-based organizations to improve community relations, particularly with area teens.

“Today’s youth may be the key to improving the relationship between law enforcement officers and their communities,” Knight said in a prepared statement. “And keeping the peace in critical situations. If we miss that opportunity to connect, it could be lost for years to come.”