Eight years later, we get the prize

Happy Tuesday, friends. Welcome to a glorious day.

It was a Monday morning. We had just gotten out of a staff meeting when my phone rang. On the line, Chronicle Editor Charlie Brennan with a team from the Key Training Center’s Run for the Money kickoff in Tallahassee.

“I have some bad news,” he said, “about Phil.”

---

He referred to Phil Royal, the former sheriff’s deputy and candidate for sheriff who had helped to kick off the annual Run for the Money for years. Everyone knew Phil. And everyone loved the guy.

Couldn’t imagine what this could be. Charlie said Phil had suffered a seizure in the van, and the team had rushed him to a hospital.

It was silent for a moment on the other end. 

“He died,” Charlie finally said. “Phil died.”

I dropped the phone.

I’ve replayed those moments through my mind dozens of times since that July day in 2016.

Now I can put them to rest.

When the community gathers at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Old Courthouse grounds, we’ll be doing much more than swearing in a new sheriff. We’ll move on from eight years of heartache.

David Vincent’s investiture makes right what fate stole from us.

And that’s why we celebrate.

I’m going to guess it was Dave and Angel’s idea to have such a public swearing-in ceremony. It is brilliant. It proves, as if we needed it, that Dave is tuned into the community he’s about to lead as its chief law enforcement officer.

If you became a Citrus Countian after 2016, you’re just going to have to take our word for it how much of a full-circle event this is.

Back to 2016. Ballot qualifying had concluded, and Phil was way out in front in terms of campaign contributions and number of contributors. His competitors, including Prendergast, weren’t even close. 

Phil wasn’t winning because of some well-financed campaign machine. No, he was winning because he’s Phil. He got along with kids, senior citizens, politicians, and even the county grumpies. We couldn’t wait to have Sheriff Royal at the helm.

Then, tragedy. And we’ve seen what happened to the sheriff’s office as a result.

Despite all the squabbling about his regime, Prendergast didn’t field a decent opponent and easily won re-election in 2020. He then doubled down on his anti-community rhetoric, and some wondered if we’d be facing even a third term.

Two things happened: Prendergast imploded, and the community gelled.

Dave wasn’t Phil, but he sure had his friend’s attributes. A man of faith. Community first. Transparency. Regular guy approach. And, probably more than anything, a deep belief that Dave really knew what he was talking about.

No need to break down that entire campaign again, except to say this. Citizens, the same types who supported Phil, lined up behind Dave. It no longer became a law-and-order campaign, but rather one for a community’s soul. Are we decent people, or are we not? Do we truly care for our neighbors, or is that simply a sentiment we drag out at the holidays?

What happens at 5 p.m. Tuesday outside the Old Courthouse is a culmination of the last eight years where a citizenry says, “Enough!” 

I didn’t think this day was possible. As a political junkie, I watch trends and data. None pointed to Sheriff Vincent. Yet, here we are.

Expect tears of gratitude today, mine among them. So many people worked tirelessly for this day. I can’t imagine the emotion Dave and Angel will share during that hand-on-the-Bible moment.

Man, I miss Phil. A lot of people do. And Dave Vincent is no Phil Royal, nor should he try to be. I'm sure Phil will be on Dave's mind today.

Dave Vincent brought something back to Citrus County that we thought had died with Phil. Dave brought hope, he brought care, and he brought compassion for his community that will resonate through the agency.

What a glorious day! If only Phil was here to see it.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.
​
Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.