JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A day after Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced his retirement, shock waves are still reverberating in and outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Supporters and detractors alike say they are stunned by the rapid turn of events, just a week after revelations that Williams no longer lived in Duval County as required by law.
Though his retirement doesn't take effect until June 10, the ripple effects are already being felt.
"The one thing in law enforcement you have to have is stability and consistency," says First Coast News Crime and Safety Analyst Mark Baughman. "And right now, you don't have any of that."
Baughman says Sheriff's Office employees, from patrol officers all the way up to command staff, express similar sentiments. "I don't think it's anger. I’ve heard the word 'disappointed' directly."
That disappointment is felt more keenly because of Williams' broad reputation as a likable, decent guy.
"Mike Williams has always been very aboveboard, and in my estimation, has tried to always be transparent," says Baughman.
He also had a reputation among rank and file of being very rigid when it came to officer discipline, however, something that his critics say stands in contrast to his decision to defy the residency requirements of the charter.
"'Always do the right thing.' That was his motto," says Baughman. "And maybe that's coming into question a little bit right now."
Former Florida Bar President Hank Coxe says he’s as much baffled as disappointed. "It's not only disappointing, but it's, I think, in the lives of a lot of people, a significant betrayal of trust," he says. "It's just the sensitivity to expecting that people are what they hold themselves out to be."
"Personally, I like him," Coxe continues. "And I've always admired him. It's just ... This is really hard to figure out."
Coxe worries Williams’ year-plus vacancy raises a tangle of potential issues. "Disciplined officers, people who’ve been arrested, contracts entered into, salaries taken, appointments made by the Sheriff of senior people in his department -- are they void?" he wonders.
Administrative issues aside, Coxe believes Williams needs to answer to Jacksonville citizens directly.
"Not having him address the public and answer questions publicly and say, 'Here's what happened, here's why I did it,' I think is, uh," Coxe pauses. "He took the money for the position. At least he owes that to the public."