There was an official changing of the guard in Baker and Clay counties Monday evening as new sheriffs were sworn into office.
Sheriffs in Putnam and Flagler counties were sworn in Tuesday.
Baker County
Hundreds of people gathered Monday night to witness the swearing-in of Baker County Sheriff Scotty Rhoden at the Christian Fellowship Temple.
VIDEO: Baker County sheriff sworn in
Rhoden is a longtime Baker County resident and has served in law enforcement for most of his adult life. He replaces Sheriff Joey Dobson, who retired after more than 20 years on the job.
After Dobson announced last March that he would not be seeking re-election, Rhoden resigned as a Baker County deputy and ran for office.
Though Rhoden acknowledged that he has big shoes to fill, he said he accepts the challenge.
"I knew I wanted to make a difference and I thought running for sheriff, I can make a difference," Rhoden said.
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Now that he has been elected and sworn into office, Rhoden's chance to make a difference within the county is now a reality.
"My expectations are to work closely with our community and get in there and do the job that makes each citizen proud of the Baker County Sheriff's Office and proud of the job we do for them," Rhoden said.
But before Sheriff Rhoden can work on how the public views the Sheriff’s Office, he acknowledges that he must first work on improving conditions within the Sheriff's Office.
“I believe that our morale at the Sheriff’s Office was a little lower than it should be. So we want to work on the morale of the Sheriff’s Office right off the bat," he said.
The new sheriff wanted to make his message clear to all residents -- whether they voted for him or not.
“Politics are over. On November the 9th, I put that behind me. I want people to know that I will be a sheriff regardless of who you voted for. I’m going to be there for you just like I’m going to be there for people who supported me, and I’m going to be here for Baker County," Rhoden said.
Rhoden added that he also wants to improve transparency within the Sheriff’s Office by hiring a public information officer -- a position the agency has never had.
Clay County
A few hundred people jammed into the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts in Orange Park Tuesday night as Clay County swore in Darryl Daniels as its new sheriff.
Daniels, who spent 25 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and served nearly eight years in the U.S. Navy based at Cecil Field, takes over from Sheriff Rick Beseler.
VIDEO: Clay County sheriff sworn in
Beseler held the position for the last 12 years, but decided to retire instead of running again.
The crowd cheered Daniels as he and his wife walked in Tuesday evening. Daniels said it was a moment that he could not have prepared for and left him humbled, if not speechless.
"Not only leaders in the community, but just folks that I've gotten to know and care for over the course of several years -- just to see them was heartwarming to me," Daniels said.
Daniels said he's been preparing the for job of sheriff for years and his supporters believe in his experience.
"That gap that's between law enforcement and the community, it needs to be bridged somehow," said Shameeka Barber, who attended the swearing-in ceremony. "Somehow letting the people know and, of course, I know because I was married to a police officer before. They are here to protect and serve. If there were no law enforcement (officers), what would you do? There would be chaos. So, absolutely, I think he is the man who can take care of that."
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Daniels said he intends to close that gap by meeting people in the community, mobilizing deputies to do the same, to build trust and earn that trust at a deeper level.
"In this day and age, where there's mistrust of law enforcement, not necessarily in Clay County, we need to ensure that we have an enhanced relationship with the community and the citizens we serve," Daniels said. "We're all in this together."
As for recent criticism that he appointed former State Attorney Angela Corey as his general counsel, Daniels seems unfazed.
"My argument is she's still a good attorney. She still has the same skill set as when she was first elected. Forget about her being state attorney; I'm not hiring her to be state attorney. I'm hiring her to be general counsel. And to leverage the experience, the academic experience, she has teaching law enforcement," he said.
Three different pastors spoke or prayed during the ceremony. Daniels said his faith -- which was pointed out by each speaker during the event -- will be his anchor in the job and keep him grounded.
Daniels is the first African-American to be elected sheriff in Clay County.
Putnam County
A judge cleared the way for Gator DeLoach to be sworn in Tuesday as the new sheriff of Putnam County.
An attorney for Jon Kinney, the Republican candidate who lost the race for Putnam County sheriff by 16 votes in a three-way election, filed an emergency motion Thursday seeking to block DeLoach, the Democrat candidate, from taking office.
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The motion cited the “inexplicable discovery” of an additional 428 ballots that turned the race from an 18-vote victory for Kinney to a 16-vote win for Deloach. The motion also accused the canvassing board of violating Florida Sunshine Laws and its political code during the recount process.
Clay County Circuit Judge Gary Wilkinson heard arguments Friday morning on the motion to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. He denied the request for an injunction.
But the larger legal challenge to the outcome of the election is not over. A hearing on that case is set for Feb. 9.
DeLoach was sworn in Tuesday morning.
Flagler County
Rick Staly was sworn in Tuesday as Flagler County's 18th sheriff during a special ceremony at the Sheriff’s Operations Center with nearly 400 people attending, including former sheriffs Don Fleming and James L. Manfre.
The Honorable Senior Judge Emerson R. Thompson Jr. administered the oath of office as Staly was surrounded by friends, family and well-wishers.
Also attending were elected officials from Flagler Beach, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler County, as well as Staly’s former colleagues from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, Staly’s wife Debbie was by his side, along with their daughters Lauren Staly and Diana Wolf and extended family members.
Staly told the crowd that he has known Thompson for more than 35 years, since he was a young deputy for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, testifying in court before Thompson. Staly began his law enforcement career in 1975 as a police officer in Oviedo and later in Altamonte Springs. Next he went to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office where he served for 23 years. In 2001, he retired from Orange County.
Staly served as the undersheriff of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office from 2013-2014 and was elected sheriff Nov. 8, 2016.
During Tuesday's ceremony, Staly told the crowd, “To our community, I am honored and humbled to be trusted by you to serve and protect you, your family and our business community,” and he vowed to be tough on crime.
“The safety and security of our community are critical to Flagler County being a vibrant and growing
community," he said.
In addition to Thompson, participants in the swearing-in ceremony included the Rev. Jeanine Clontz,
Flagler Beach United Methodist Church; the Rev. Charles Silano, Grace Tabernacle Ministries; and Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Chaplain Bruce Laurent. Other participants included the Coastal Florida Police
and Fire Pipes & Drums corps and the FCSO Honor Guard.