Brevard County voters re-elect Republican Sheriff Wayne Ivey

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Republican Wayne Ivey has been declared the winner of the Brevard County sheriff race.

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Brevard voters have decided who they want to be the county’s top cop.

The race marks the first time in eight years that Brevard County residents cast their votes for sheriff. Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who was first elected in 2012, faced Democratic challenger Alton Edmond this year after Ivey ran unopposed in 2016.

The winner’s responsibilities will include leading the men and women of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, which, according to the agency’s Twitter, provides law enforcement services to more than 510,000 residents on Florida’s East Coast, and managing the agency’s multi-million dollar budget.

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Here’s what you need to know about the candidates:

Wayne Ivey (R)

Republican incumbent Wayne Ivey has more than 40 years of law enforcement experience in Florida, according to his campaign site. He began his career with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in 1980 and also spent a few years with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office before he was appointed as a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 1993, where he continued to climb the ranks until 2011 before he was elected as Brevard County sheriff in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. Ivey, who earned both an associates degree and a bachelors degree from schools in the Central Florida area, is among a select group of law enforcement officers chosen to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, according to his site. He graduated from the academy in 2009. Ivey has a number of other honors and accomplishments listed on his resume and has received endorsements from a number of other local elected officials. He says he believes the “government’s one and only responsibility is to protect its citizens” and that crime prevention and education are key to reducing crime and protecting the community. Click here to learn more about Ivey and his campaign.

Alton Edmond (D)

Criminal defense lawyer Alton Edmond may be listed as the Democratic candidate on the November ballot but according to his campaign website, he doesn’t serve any party agenda and sees the position of Brevard County sheriff as “wholly apolitical." Edmond says he has the right skill set to serve the people of Brevard County as the servant leader he believes a sheriff should be: He knows how to hold meetings, read people, manage budgets, advocate and listen to and trust the experts, according to his website. He says he has no interest in playing politics and, if elected, will take his oath seriously and do his best to serve his community’s best interests and support law enforcement’s mission to protect and serve. During an interview on “The Weekly” with News 6 anchor Justin Warmoth, Edmond spoke about his vision for a more transparent sheriff’s office, why he’s qualified to run the agency despite his lack of law enforcement experience and the controversial case of Gregory Edwards, who died at the local jail after a violent confrontation with corrections deputies. In addition to increasing transparency, Edmond also has plans to focus on offering support services for deputies. Click here to learn more about Edmond and his campaign.

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