FCSO Agriculture/Ranch Deputy First Class Steve Williams and SJSO Agriculture Deputy Mike Pedonti were dually certified in both counties on Thursday, February 2, 2023. In the past, both deputies had served as “lone rangers” patrolling the distinctive border regions of Flagler Estates, a rural community in Southwest St. Johns County and Northwest Flagler.
Both deputies will be able to respond to calls for service and make arrests in either county starting today. Sheriff Rick Staly and Sheriff Robert Hardwick administered the joint swearing-in ceremony for them at the Flagler Estates Community Center in Hastings.
“This area has been an area that seems to attract criminal and nuisance activity for years and because it is located in a very rural
area of both counties it was hard to police,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “In our case, we actually had to enter St. Johns County to access the many dirt roads in the Flagler County side of Flagler Estates. Over the years, unruly parties, underage drinking, stolen vehicles, trespassing, and people shooting FPL’s electric lines were occurring. It is our hope that working together we can tame
this community, have faster response times and make it safer for everyone without having to worry about boundary lines.”
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJSO) relies heavily on strong relationships with the surrounding counties for its success. Sheriff Robert Hardwick stated, “This particular partnership with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will enable SJSO to better provide first-rate customer service to the southwest portion of our county.” We are eager for our two agencies to continue working together to protect our citizens’ safety and well-being.
