Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr. Drops Re-Election Bid

GAINESVILLE ‒ Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr., on June 20, notified employees he will not seek re-election. In April, Watson filed to run for re-election in 2024, but in a separate letter dated June 20, 2023, to Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton, Watson provided notification of his withdrawal from the race for Sheriff of Alachua County. Watson has not stated why he will not run for re-election or his future plans.

Watson sent the following letter to employees of the sheriff’s office on Tuesday:

To our dedicated team,

Over the last few months, I have had the great opportunity to reflect on the last two and one-half years of my time as your Sheriff. We have had some incredible highs and some unfortunate lows, but through it all, we have always found comfort in taking great care of one another.

Throughout my many years in leadership, I have learned that while you may find yourself as the head of an organization or entity, sometimes you must make the tough decision to step aside and prepare the organization for new leadership that will continue to advance our agency toward the future. It is an honor to be your Sheriff as I continue to watch the incredible work that each one of you do to ensure that our citizens are well-protected.

After much prayer and thought, I want to announce to each one of you that I will not be seeking re-election as Sheriff of Alachua County. This decision was not made lightly and I want each one of you to know that I will continue to serve you all with honor and professionalism throughout the rest of my time as your Sheriff.

I am confident that this agency will continue to grow and develop into a law enforcement agency that others around our great state will look toward as an example.

I want to thank each one of you for the courageous and dedicated service that you provide to our agency and our citizens. Alachua County is certainly a better place thanks to men and women like each one of you.

Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr.

Watson defeated former Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell in the 2020 Democratic primary election. Prior to his successful bid for sheriff, Watson served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 – 2020, representing District 20, which covered parts of Alachua and Marion counties. Watson also formerly served as the City of Alachua city manager, police officer, sergeant and deputy chief of police.

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