TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen announced Friday morning that he will retire in September after 38 years with FDLE.
"While I have thoroughly enjoyed my 38 years with FDLE, the time has come for FDLE to move in a new direction," he told members.
Swearingen was appointed to lead the agency in 2014 by then-Governor Rick Scott.
Before being appointed to the commissioner, he lead the Florida Capitol Police, where he was responsible for protecting the State Capitol complex.
Gov. DeSantis's office praised Swearingen's service to Florida and said that a candidate to replace him will be announced soon.
We are grateful to Commissioner Swearingen for the more than 30 years he has dedicated to public safety in Florida. While serving as Commissioner he has helped to prepare Florida against growing cybersecurity threats and helped local law enforcement improve their standards and methods to better protect their citizens from crime and violence. During his tenure, and during the governor’s first term in office, the state’s violent crime rate fell lower than the national violent crime rate for the first time since such data has been available.
We’re appreciative of his tenured service to the safety of all Floridians and look forward to bringing forward a new candidate in the near future. We will share details as they become available.
Gov. DeSantis Office
