Preceded by Rodney Shoap Name Mike Scott Political party Republican Party | Constituency Lee County, FL Role Sheriff | |
Education University of South Florida | ||
Michael Joseph Scott (born 1963), known as Mike Scott, is the Sheriff of Lee County, Florida as of 2011, and the 12th person to head the Lee County Sheriff's Office since it began in 1887. The county makes up the entirety of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, and is the most populous county in Southwest Florida. Its county seat is Fort Myers, and its largest city is Cape Coral. Scott, a Republican, has held the office of Sheriff in Lee County since 2004. He was re-elected in the fall of 2008 and again in 2012.
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Early life and education
Born and raised in Lee County, Scott is a third generation Lee County resident. He graduated from North Fort Myers High School in 1981. He earned an associate's degree from Edison Community College. In 1985, Scott earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Florida. He holds a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in public administration from IMPAC University.
Career
In 1988, Scott joined the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, after working as a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Florida for 2 years. During assignments as Public Information Officer, he was spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office on a wide variety of matters. He also served as the Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers Program.
Locally, the Children’s Home Society presented Scott the 2006 Safe At Home Award for his efforts to keep all children safe in Lee County. In his first year in office, the Florida Crime Prevention Association awarded him the 2005 President’s Award, the highest honor given to any chief or sheriff in Florida for his or her progressive actions in the area of crime prevention.
In 2006, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement appointed Scott co-chair of the nine-county Southwest Regional Domestic Security Task Force. In August 2007, Florida’s fellow sheriffs elected Scott to the Florida Sheriffs Association’s Board of Directors.
Public office
Scott left the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers agency to campaign in 2003 as a Republican candidate for Sheriff and won his first term as Sheriff of Lee County.
In August 2008, Scott won the Republican primary for re-election in August 2008 with over 90% of votes. Scott was re-elected in November 2008 with nearly 75% of the vote and November 2012 with 66% of the vote.
Controversy
In 2008, at a rally for John McCain and Sarah Palin, Scott, appearing in uniform, said, "On Nov. 4, let's leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened." The McCain-Palin campaign issued a public statement distancing itself from Scott's use of the middle name, and some viewed his use as divisive. The News-Press reported that when asked why he used the full name, Scott said "I just wanted to use his full name."
Personal life
Scott and his wife Krista live in North Fort Myers and are the parents of two adult daughters, Lindsay and MacKenzie.