Alachua County Sheriff Clarifies FDLE Investigation

In an email sent Friday to Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) staff, Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey distanced himself from a state investigation and said it involved the administration of his predecessor.

ACSO spokesman Art Forgey released Gainey's email Wednesday. This is a response to Executive Order 24-105, issued June 4 by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The order said State Attorney Brian Kramer voluntarily disqualified himself from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into ACSO, citing Kramer's endorsement of Gainey as a conflict of interest.

Kramer requested that Third Judicial Circuit State's Attorney John Durrett take over as the designated prosecutor to continue the investigation, which began in February 2023 and involves Gainey's predecessor, the former sheriff of Alachua County, Clovis Watson Jr.

“Earlier this afternoon, it was reported that the Alachua County Sheriff's Office was under investigation by the State Attorney and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ” Gainey wrote in the email to staff. “It was further reported that the investigation had been transferred to 3^rdJudicial circuit. The stories left out important context, leaving readers wondering if this was a new investigation.

Gainey wrote that he was aware of the investigation until the state and governor's office informed him of it Friday. He did not reveal the purpose of the investigation.

“My administration is not under investigation by any source,” Gainey wrote to staff.

Watson was criticized during the last two years of his tenure for the way he conducted an internal investigation against three employees of the Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) and in his negotiations with the North Central Florida Police Benevolent Association regarding a contract with ACSO deputies, which was finally approved in July 2022.

In June 2023, Watson announced that he would not seek re-election in 2024. On July 31, 2023, Watson sent DeSantis a letter saying he would resign from his position due to health reasons.

On September 7, 2023, DeSantis appointed Gainey as the new sheriff of Alachua County, and Gainey was sworn in on October 1.