The late Philip Roth had his eponymous Nathan Zukerman in one of his many bookish appearances joke that if “you write thirty books, and you win the Nobel Prize, and you live to be white-haired and ninety-five, it’s highly unlikely but not impossible that after your death they’ll decide to name a rest stop for you.”
The Flagler County Commission may do Sheriff Rick Staly one better.
Staly is nowhere near 95–he’ll be in his 60s until the last day of the year–he can still boast a few wisps of non-white hair and could run again in 2028. He’s also marking 50 years in policing. So the commission is considering–and will likely approve–renaming the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell as the Sheriff Rick Staly Law Enforcement Center in recognition of that service.
Sheriff’s Chief Mark Strobridge, a colleague and friend of Staly’s going back to their many years together at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, conceived and proposed the idea to some commissioners. There’d been discussions with County Administrator Heidi Petito, who sought a legal brief from County Attorney Michael Rodriguez, but did not expect to hear the matter discussed at Monday’s commission meeting.
Commissioner Leann Pennington brought it up as “a good opportunity for us as a board to do something in the community.” She cited Staly’s long tenure in Flagler County, the 50 percent reduction in crime, his reputation in the state and the community. “Everywhere I go, everyone loves our sheriff, and he is very well respected, and he’s done a tremendous job in our community,” she said. She sought consensus from her colleagues to rename the Operations Center for him. “It’ll still be a sheriff’s office, but it would be Sheriff Staly’s office.”
“I kind of think that’s something to do at his retirement,” Commissioner Greg Hansen said. ”That would be the appropriate time. I’m all for naming the building after him, but I think it should be done at his retirement.”
The county has a naming policy, adopted in 2015. The policy calls for the naming of places or buildings to be “a rare event,” for the person to have made “exceptional contributions to Flagler County,” whether by way of monetary gifts or public service (white-haired novelists are not mentioned), and requires “a well-defined connection between the contributions and the facility to be named.” The policy does not require the person to be retired or dead.
Commissioners Pam Richardson and Kim Carney were quick to align with Pennington. They sounded ready to sign off then and there, though a few questions arose, prompting Strobrudge, who was still in the chamber for a very different reason, walked down to the well to address the commissioners.
Neither the commission nor Petito were aware just then of what the human resources department had earned from Jorge Salinas’s children: that Salinas and his wife Nancy had been killed in a car crash the previous Saturday. Strobridge was aware, and alluded to it: “I can just hit the highlights and be done and get out of here, because we do have a couple other critical issues we need to talk about later,” he said.
Strobridge summarized the process as he understood it. He’d looked up the policy, and noted that Staly checked every box to qualify for a naming honor. “There’s absolutely no cost for the entire process to the county,” he said. The entity requesting the renaming would have to bear the costs, and the building can be renamed yet again in the future. “We have hit every piece of the criteria. The question becomes, do we do it now as we get close to his 50th celebration? Is it something everybody wants to wait?” (There is, it appears, to be an actual celebration.) “Tomorrow is not promised to any of us,” Strobridge said, words heavy with the moment’s undertone, “and this is one chance that I wanted to bring forth an idea that Commissioner Pennington championed for me, that we can say: thank you.” (just before midnight, he’d sent Adam Mengle, the county’s growth management director, a summary of the issue, a proposed resolution and Staly’s list of accomplishments.)
Commission Chair Andy Dance said while there is no stipulation against naming a building before a person retires, “I think if you read the policy, the intent is very clear in that it’s for recognizing somebody for their period of service at the completion of their service.”
Dance said the policy was written after the county courthouse was named for Kim Hammond when he was still a circuit judge there, if also approaching retirement. “But that was before we did the facility naming policy, and one could probably assume that something like that occurring could have been the genesis for the naming facility,” Dance said. (He meant policy.)
“If we’re going to do this, I think we have to take a look at the policy,” Dance said. “ The policy is going to have to be reviewed, because if there’s a loophole in there for existing recognizing existing elected officials, that is what we need to be looking at absent from any names associated for it. It needs to be analyzed as a policy decision, regardless of whose name is attached to. I’m the biggest supporter here for Sheriff Staly and the things that he’s done. He’s been exceptional in the improvements that he’s done and is working with the county on many different fronts, especially with that building. But from a policy standpoint, this would set a precedent that’s not specifically named within the policy.” The commission, he said, needs to consider the “unintended consequences” of such a change. Staly could not be reached before this article published.
Pennington said she was comfortable with the renaming. The Operations Center would continue to be known as the Operations Center for most, she said (most people still don’t know that the county jail is actually the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility), but “I’m comfortable moving forward of getting the application submitted and bringing it back to the board.”
Dance still wanted to look at all options, plaques and “other ways” included. But Carney, Pennington and Richardson’s majority meant the application would be taken and considered at the Oct. 20 meeting. “I hate to see a policy hold us up, so I’m willing to move forward,” Carney said.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Life is promised to no one. There’s no reason why Sheriff Staly should not be honored now. He has been a fantastic sheriff and has made Flagler County a very uncomfortable place for criminals to ply their trade. He deserves the honor, and I hope he receives it.
Roy Longo says
I think this is a terrible idea. But it has nothing to do with Staly personally. It has everything to do with naming buildings after politicians while they are still in office. Maybe if Staly worked as a Flagler County deputy before running for sheriff. There are dozens of deputies who have made the ultimate sacrifice the line of duty and/or have served longer in Flagler County. More thought needs to be put into this.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
Personally I think the building should be named the Taj Mahal for the amount WE taxpayers paid for it.
In most communities buildings and roads etc are named after the deceased not the living. This is beyond absurd. No personal insult to the Sheriff. His great staff contributes to his success. It is not his alone . To adorn any county paid for building with the name of the person who demanded we build it is beyond insane!!! .
The decisions made by the Board of Commissioners gets more outrageous and convoluted and totally out of touch with reality in my opinion. I couldn’t even ask the commissioners to reimburse unnecessary legal expenses of two innocent women who were knowingly wrongfully accused of something they were not responsible for. The Almighty Chair has cut off the first amendment on Consent Agenda items. He refuses to allow the public to request how our money is spent to speak on those issues.
There is not one commissioner, based on recent actions, in my opinion, who deserves their paycheck .
To soon says
Just wondering if Staley himself isn’t behind the scene ringleader of this hatched idea. He has done a very admirable job for the County but at considerable taxpayer expense AND don’t forget this man has Never met a camera or microphone he didn’t like.
Follow policy as intended and wait till he’s gone
Enough already says
What a joke… can we stop with this love affair with rick…
No way!! says
Do NOT do this. Staley is still in office. He came here after he retired from Orange County. There are so many Deputies that served their whole career in Flagler County and better deserve this!!! Not to mention that Staley has given himself awards whe he is in office. This is too far!! He is not as loved as his stooge says he is! Strobridge and Staley are self serving. Stribridge was also retired until Staley offered him a cushy six figure salary. Please residents say something!
Retired FCSO after years says
Thank you County Commissioners for forgetting all the deputies who lived and served this county for their entire careers. Some even died in the line of duty! Name the stupid building after a political carpetbagger who lived and worked in Orange County and moved here only after losing his election in Orange County. As a retired FCSO officer this makes me sick!
Pete says
Ewwwwww. Yuk
Jaii Hein says
I think this man needs more recognition…
https://www.flaglersheriff.com/sheriff-zip-edmondson
Jaii Hein says
Another name to consider old school…that helped forge the county.
https://www.flaglersheriff.com/sheriff-homer-william-brooks
Right says
Grady Prather Sheriffs Office Operations Center has a good ring to it.
He was the longest serving ‘Flagler County’ lawman.
JF says
All I can sa is “ARE YOU KIDDING ME” This guy has wasted enough of our money over the years. He’s a wannabe cowboy who thinks that he lost he’s in the Wild West. Name it after a fallen deputy or something. Rick Staley has done nothing but waste money and wrecked the FCSO beyond repair. Just re member. This is the guy who lets his deputies get away with damn near anything from disrespecting the public,talking talking to domestic violence victims,unprofessional behavior during traffic stops and the list goes on .I have countless hours of footage from my body cam which was downloaded to the department that I also kept to myself when I left the agency that prove all of these accusations. I would love to show it to the public but I need to seek legal advice before proceeding. Also Rick Staley doesn’t even police his own deputies. It’s like a fantasy world when you see what they get away with behind closed doors.
COMMISSUONERS/COUBTY LEADERS. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!!
Vote him out says
And if the voters of this county wake up and vote him out of office it will save us millions of dollars !!!
Then we will have a high priced memorial to a man who was voted out of office.
Sounds like another “only in Flagler” episode
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
In reply to “Vote Him Out Says”: If Chief Stacy were voted out of office, this county wouldn’t be worth living in. What price do you place on your safety? The cost of a statue is nothing compared to the value we get from a dedicated, tough-on-crime sheriff.
Taxpayer says
With all do respect to Sheriff Staly I think to have a building name after someone is honored when they have passed away not when their still alive.
I am sure Flagler County has many of those that have passed would warrant that honor also.
Can the Flagler County Commissioners work on priorities for the taxpayers of Flagler County and not be concerned about how a building should be named.
Canary says
To name a county building after a living person, let alone a sitting officeholder who apparently intends to run for re-election, is COMPLETELY inappropriate. There are many other appropriate candidates to name the building after, some named in this article’s comments. Choose one of them and give Sheriff Staly his due only after he is at very least retired.
To be purely practical about it…public opinion is fickle. Today’s hero is tomorrow’s persona non grata. One misstep and the pendulum of public opinion shifts and now we’re stuck with a building named after someone problematic. THIS is why you wait till people are gone to name things after them!