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To The Citizens of Santa Rosa
County
It is with great pleasure that we recognize
and honor those individuals who served as the constitutional
law enforcement leader for the citizens of Santa Rosa County.
This recognition is fitting and necessary.
As leaders, each sheriff defined the style
of their administration, while recognizing the important contributions
of their predecessors. In casting our vision for the future,
we need to touch the past by building on the accomplishments
of those who served before us.
As sheriff, I have a desire and obligation
to recognize and honor the sheriffs that served before me.
Recognition is also bestowed upon the employees who served
our sheriffs, each sheriff's own family members who often
sacrificed for this public service, and the citizens of Santa
Rosa county who have supported the office of the sheriff in
ways too numerous to count. Our support and thanks go to these
sheriffs for all their years of dedicated service to the citizens
of this great county.
Wendell Hall, Sheriff
October 2002 |
The
History of Santa Rosa County Sheriffs
In 1842, Santa Rosa County was created
out of Escambia County and Jesse Carter Allen became the county’s
first territorial interim Sheriff. The first Sheriff’s
Office was located in Milton. |
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Click the name of a sheriff to be taken to his/her biography
and picture. |
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| 1842
Santa Rosa became
the 21st county in the State of Florida. Sheriffs Mims,
McLellan and Cobb, Jr. were among the signers of the
petition to create the county. |
| 1845
Florida was admitted
to the Union as a new state. Sheriff Harrison became
the first elected sheriff of the county. |
| Early
sheriffs performed many duties beyond those of the office
itself. They were tax collectors, census certifiers,
overseers of curfew violations and even the superintendent
of schools. They often traveled by foot, horseback or
boat when traversing the county. Their job was laborious
with long hours, low pay and limited resources. |
1860's
Florida seceded from
the Union and became part of the Confederate States
of America. Sheriffs Amos, McLellan and Dixon served
as sheriff during the Civil War. Sheriffs Harrison,
Mims, Cobb, Jr., McArthur, Amos, Dixon and Johnson joined
the Confederacy. |
1867-1874
Martial law governed.
There were no county sheriffs during this period of
time. |
1878
Sheriff Benbow began
his term as the last of the federal troops were withdrawn
from Florida |
| 1881
Sheriff Johnson came
into power. The county population was over 10,000. |
| 1890's
to early 1900's Sheriffs
faced difficulty with the advent of organized labor
movements, Prohibition and the Great Depression. Civil
unrest was followed by national unrest with the onset
of WW I and II.
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| 1950's
Sheriff Bart Broxson
died in office and his wife, Annie, became the interim
sheriff, followed by their son, John Ray Broxson. John
Ray Broxson formed the Sheriff's Posse during his term. |
| 1960's
Challenges were faced
within the county and the nation as the Viet Nam War
escalated. |
| 1970's
Civil Service was
instituted, a 911 emergency number and a mobile crime
lab was established. The first female deputy was hired. |
| 1980's/1990's
The sheriff's office
witnessed an increase in technological devices, greater
manpower, training and budgets in the millions of dollars.
A new Criminal Justice Center was erected and MCT's
(Mobile Computer Terminal) were placed in patrol cars. |
| 2000
Similar to his predecessors,
Sheriff Hall faces the challenge of ensuring the excellence,
accountability and integrity of his office. He has an
"open door" policy for the citizenry of this county
and the employees of the sheriff's office. He advocates
a strong partnership between law enforcement and the
community at-large.
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| 1869 |
The first county courthouse was destroyed
by fire. |
| 1869-1877 |
County records temporarily housed at Chaffin's
store in Milton. |
| 1877 |
New courthouse and jail constructed
on "Courthouse Square." |
| 1914 |
Due to the growth of the county; the courthouse
was overcrowded and deemed unsafe in 1922. |
| 1927 |
Today's courthouse was completed with the
sheriff's living quarters and a new jail on the top of
the structure. |
| 1932 |
Chief Deputy Wade H. Cobb, Sr. honeymooned
in the sheriff's living quarters. |
| 1960's |
Courthouse remodeled with more office space
added. The sheriff's living quarters and jail were moved
and relocated behind the courthouse. |
| 2002 |
The current courthouse was 75 years old
on July 4, 2002. The courthouse has been deemed over
crowded and antiquated. Plans for a new courthouse
are on the drawing board. The future of the new courthouse
lies in the hands of the citizens it serves.
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Acknowledgments |
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The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office wishes to thank
the following individuals and institutions for their
invaluable assistance in the creation of the Santa
Rosa
County Sheriffs Wall of Honor. |
| Bud
Allen
Betty Amos
Linda Benbow
Lora Botts
Jerry D. Brown
James F. Coats
Shirley Coffman
Pat D'Asaro
Linda Dees
Ethel Enfinger
F.M. "Bubba" Fisher
M.E. Fraser
JoAnn Hall
Wendell Hall
Bill Hayes
Leon Hinote, Jr
Roscoe Johnson
Judi Jolly
Jayne Allen Lipe
Radford Locklin
Joel Lowery
John Lunsford
Lisa May
Shirley McDaniel
John McLaughlin
Clay Mitchell
James A. Powell, Sr.
Cindy Sarver
Greg Schnoor
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Joyce
Schnoor
Gertrude Stephens
Annice Webb
Warren
Weeks
Phillip White
Kathryn Wilkinson
Nathan Woolsey
Santa
Rosa
Historical Society, Inc.
Genealogical Society of Santa
Rosa
County
UWF, Milton, Pensacola Public Libraries
State Library of Florida
Gulf Breeze Historical Society
Civil War Museum, Pensacola
Rufflin Flag Company
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Santa Rosa Press Gazette
Framing By Design
U.S. Census Records
Secrets of The Old Milton Cemetery/B. Morrell
Tenting Tonight: Soldiers Life/Time Life
Pioneering In The Panhandle/William J. Wells
History of Santa Rosa County/M. L. King
Seventy-Seven Years In Dixie/Henry Reddick
Florida Sheriffs: A History 1821-1945/William
Warren Rogers and James M.
Denton
Images of America: Santa Rosa County/ Laurie Green
Blackwater and Yellow Pine: The Development of
Santa Rosa County
1821-1865/Brian Rucker
Southern Surveying, Inc. (Maps)
Santa Rosa County Clerk's Office Archives
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