Manatee Sheriff Brad Steube won't run for re-election, announces retirement

MANATEE — Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube announced Tuesday he will not run for re-election next year and will instead retire at the end of his current term.

Steube, sheriff since April 2007 when he was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, plans to retire in January 2017.

It was a bittersweet announcement to make, Steube said Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s time for me to retire. At the end of this term, I would have been doing this for 40 years,” said Steube, 61. “It’s time for new ideas and new leadership.”

The sheriff said he remembers promises he made to himself years back when he started teaching at the law enforcement academy.

“I told myself if it wasn’t fun anymore, I didn’t think I was being effective, or it was taking too much of my time, I would stop,” Steube said. “Then when I became sheriff, that I would not stay longer than I should.”

In February, Steube appointed former Palmetto Police Chief Rick Wells as his second in command. He is the son of former Sheriff Charlie Wells, whom Steube succeeded.

The position of chief deputy had been vacant since January 2013 when Col. Chuck Hagaman retired.

The timing in that decision and his announcement on Tuesday were mapped out.

“Since 2007 and my subsequent election, I have had a succession plan,” Steube said. “Things in that plan may have been a little off, but my succession plan is what I am doing now.”

That plan is why he made the announcement with 1 1/2 years still remaining in his term.

“It gives the person I am in hopes of, to open a campaign, raise money and run a successful election,” Steube said.

Rick Wells did not return a call for comment to the Herald.

During a staff meeting Tuesday, Steube made clear his intention to retire but to remain fully engaged until the end of his term.

“I thrive on information,” Steube said. “I want to be as informed a person at the sheriff’s office as anyone else.”

That is the same message he wishes to convey to the community, he said.

When he leaves in January 2017, Steube said he will take with him many memories and proud accomplishments.

“One of the biggest things we did was when we broke the county into the patrol districts,” Steube said. Not long after his appointment, Steube made the decision to divide the sheriff’s office’s jurisdiction into three districts and name a captain to oversee each.

After that decision, he also implemented weekly meetings during which information is shared within the department. During the meetings, hot spots for crime in the county are identified and decisions are made on how to better address problem areas.

The State Attorney’s Office’ liaison to the sheriff’s office, Assistant State Attorney Brian Iten, also attends the meetings, proving helpful when arrests are made.

One case that boldly sticks out during Steube’s time in the sheriff’s office was in May 2007 when 9-year-old Stacy Williams III was shot and killed during a gang fight. Steube credits the cooperation of eyewitnesses in the community and the hard work of sheriff’s office employees for the arrests and convictions in the case.

He says his best memories, however, will be the hard-working and dedicated men and women who work at the sheriff’s office.

Bradenton Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said Steube’s retirement is the county’s loss.

“He is certainly a dedicated person to law enforcement with his desire to keep the county safe,” Radzilowski said. “The city will certainly miss him, as will the county.”

Radzilowski announced his own retirement earlier this year. His retirement will be effective this December.

“I’m glad he is following in my footsteps, because after you have been in this business for as many years as we have, you need to stop and smell the roses,” Radzilowski said. “I’m glad he will have more time to enjoy with his wife, his children and grandchildren.”

Radzilowski said the sheriff has always been honest and trustworthy.

“There’s nothing fake about him,” the police chief said.

Steube began his career in law enforcement in 1976 with the Longboat Key Police Department. He later joined the sheriff’s office as a deputy in 1978.

Throughout his career at the sheriff’s office, Steube has worked in patrol, special investigations and the SWAT team.

Steube became second in command under then-Sheriff Charlie Wells in 2004. He held that position until Wells’ retirement in April 2007, when Gov. Crist appointed him to the position.

Steube, a Republican, later went on to win the 2008 and 2012 elections to remain in the position.

Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler agreed that Steube will be missed.

“I wish him well and certainly he deserves retirement, he’s worked hard but I’m going to be sorry to see him go,” Tyler said. “He’s done a great job with the sheriff’s office in all the positions he’s held there.”

Steube has been more than just a fellow leader, according to Tyler.

“He’s been a mentor to many of us coming up,” Tyler said. “He was one of my instructors at the academy.”

Tyler was appointed chief of the Palmetto Police Department when Rick Wells resigned to take the sheriff’s chief deputy position.

In retirement, Steube said he is looking forward to more time with his family. But he still has goals he wants to accomplish during his remaining time in office.

One of those goals will be to continue the mission Steube set out years ago to raise the sheriff’s office’s salaries to a level that is comparable to surrounding agencies.

“We are close,” Steube added. “And, as always, I will be asking for more people on patrol and in the jail.”

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter @JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Manatee Sheriff Brad Steube won't run for re-election, announces retirement."