JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Does your sheriff live in the county they are charged with policing, and if not, should they be required to?
These are the questions First Coast News has been receiving after the controversy surrounding Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams' residency led to his retirement announcement.
On Thursday, On Your Side's Kailey Tracy was the only reporter to have a one-on-one interview with the sheriff. She asked him about selling his Jacksonville home in 2021 and then moving to Nassau County.
"Currently I do not live in Jacksonville and plan to stay outside of Jacksonville in Nassau County when I retire," Williams said.
The Office of the General Council for Jacksonville was expected to deliver a legal opinion on whether the move meant that he violated the city charter.
However, Williams said he felt a court battle over his residency would "not be good for our community" and announced he will be retiring on June 10.
Legally speaking, are sheriffs required to live in the same county in which they are appointed or elected? There's no clear answer, as every county is different and has different rules in which they abide by.
For example, St. Johns County is not a chartered county, so there's no specific rule in a county charter stating that the sheriff has to be a resident. However, Sheriff Robert Hardwick does live in St. Johns County.
Conversely, Clay County does have a charter, but there is no residency requirement in their charter. The Public Information Officer for the Clay County Sheriff's Office says that Cook does not reside in the county -- but the county attorney says Sheriff Michelle Cook doesn't have to live in Clay County by law.
RELATED: Jacksonville sheriff retires after controversy over whether he violated the city charter by moving
In Georgia, the office of sheriff falls under the state official code of Georgia.
First Coast News learned that every sheriff in Georgia is a constitutional officer, which means the sheriff is a state officer but serves the county.
In other words, there is no such thing as a Sheriff’s Department in Georgia. Every deputy in Georgia are employees of the sheriff, not the county. The requirements set forth in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, or OCGA, are the ones that the sheriff must follow.
The Georgia Sheriff's Association says the OCGA says the sheriff of every Georgia county must live in the county they police. The association said there would never be a county charter that contradicts that.
Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor says he is a lifelong resident of Camden County. His family has called the City of Woodbine home for generations.
“Why would I want to move from God’s country?" he tells First Coast News. "We have a tremendous number of people moving from the Cities and making Camden County their home. It is an awesome place to live and raise a family.”