With the election for Monroe County Sheriff less than nine months away, incumbent Rick Roth doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get his stutter-start campaign moving.
Last year, he announced his retirement, bringing all the Republican wannabes out of the woodwork. Then, he sent them skittering by announcing that he had changed his mind— that he would be running for a fourth term.
Roth's first campaign treasurer's report shows that, at year end, he had raised only $700 in contributions— $100 from himself, another $100 from Deputy Jenny Bell-Thompson and $500 from Marathon Attorney Robert Brobyn.
But Roth's only announced opponent, Democrat Ron Poindexter, isn't playing around. He pre-filed with the Supervisor of Elections last June and has been on the campaign trail ever since, meeting with residents, deputies and elected officials to gauge their concerns about law enforcement.
Poindexter's first two treasurer's reports show contributions totaling almost $13,000.
"Just because Roth changed his mind doesn't mean it's not time for a change," Poindexter said.
Poindexter, 52, grew up in Key West and graduated from Key West High School. He married his childhood sweetheart, Gladys Gil Poindexter.
Poindexter's great grandfather was a Key West police officer.
After a stint in the Army in Viet Nam, Poindexter joined the Hillsborough Sheriffs Office. He retired in 1996 as Colonel of Law Enforcement Operations, making him third in command of one of the 10 largest sheriffs offices in the United States with 3000 employees and a budget of over $193 million.
After leaving the Sheriffs Office, Poindexter was selected by Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson to head the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud. His staff of 175 includes 115 sworn law enforcement officers located in 11 regional offices.
He is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a degree in Criminal Justice and has a Masters in Education/Supervision from Tampa University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
If elected, Poindexter says he would be in favor of splitting the Sheriff's budget between countywide and municipal policing— which would result in a tax cut for city residents. Roth opposes breaking out the budget.
"There's a reason Roth doesn't like that idea," Poindexter said. "He would have a smaller budget."
Poindexter was also critical of Roth's management of the jail.
"Six suicides in five years may well be the highest suicide rate in any jail in this country," he said.
Roth was appointed Sheriff in 1990 when J. Allison DeFoor resigned to run for lieutenant governor.
In a special election, Roth was elected to fill out the remainder of DeFoor's term, then was reelected in 1992 and 1996.