OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County’s newly elected sheriff Marco Lopez was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, also earning the title as the first Hispanic sheriff in the county.
The ceremony took place in the courthouse square outside of the Osceola County courthouse.
Sheriff Lopez said he’s humbled to be elected the first Hispanic sheriff, and he’s ready to get to work addressing crime, diversity, and more training for deputies. Sheriff Lopez has been with the agency for more than 16 years, replacing former sheriff Russ Gibson.
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“I do believe that I’m that sheriff to get that proper representation,” Sheriff Lopez said.
Sheriff Lopez told the crowd outside the Osceola county courthouse that he plans to tackle crime and also add more training for his deputies.
“Mental health and de-escalation training are very important,” Sheriff Lopez said.
The sheriff said he also wants to help veterans better reestablish themselves in the community, and he also wants to hire more diverse and qualified deputies, something he’s been pushing for.
“We are going for diversity, it may be a little slow process because we are a little behind, but it’s going to be done right because we need to be successful,” Sheriff Lopez said.
Some residents welcome the change.
“I think it’s what we’re going to need for the growth of Osceola County,” Jose Saleta said.
“He’s amazing,” Mari Rivera said.
News 6 asked the sheriff about the packed crowds at his swearing-in ceremony and lack of obvious social distancing.
“It was out of my control it was a public event. Nobody RSVP’d, people just found out that we were having it and they showed up. Let’s hope to God the PPE and all of the equipment they had on works out for all of us,” he said.