Kent Stermon, the donor who was under investigation when he died, was issued 5 separate badges giving him JSO access, starting under John Rutherford.
Warning: This essay addresses the topic of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org/. Political journalism is a game of access and scoops. And Kent Stermon, who took his own life at the age of 50 under clouded circumstances, offered both in his surprisingly brief life,
Influential Republican donor Kent Stermon, who died last week, used a personal badge to access Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office buildings more than 700 times over the past five years and on at least 25 separate dates in 2022, according to records obtained by Jacksonville Today. Those numbers, released last week, disproved two years’ worth of blank Stermon access records the Jacksonville
Is reform coming to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during the post-Mike Williams era? Based on what we’ve seen thus far in the campaign, expect the status quo no matter who is elected to replace Pat Ivey, who was appointed to the position after Williams’ resignation earlier this year. Oh sure, all the candidates talked about transparency, and they all say
Jacksonville’s recently resigned sheriff, Mike Williams, isn’t the only one who was policing the county while living somewhere else. Data obtained by Jacksonville Today show that about 35% of the officers in the agency — more than 650 Jacksonville police officers — live outside the county they patrol. During former Sheriff Williams’ tenure, he came under fire from community groups, gun violence
