This week, from Nov. 16-18, the Florida Sheriffs Association held its first, virtual Executive Leadership Conference and Fleet Exposition. Due to the commitment of FSA’s 2020 Annual Partners, sheriff’s office personnel from throughout the state were offered registration at no charge. 

More than 740 participants and vendors logged in over the three-day period for the multi-track conference. Fifty-four of the state's 67 sheriff’s offices were represented. Staff from 21 rural counties participated. Eighty-three staff from each of the seven urban counties participated. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office had the most registered personnel, sending 64 staff. 

Participants gathered for the opening session and heard from FSA leadership, Executive Director Steve Casey and President Bobby Schultz, sheriff of Gilchrist County. The keynote presentation, Perpetual Crisis: How to Activate External and Internal Champions, was delivered by Karen Moore. Moore is a best-selling author and the founder of a nationally ranked public affairs company, The Moore Agency.

The conference continued with eight concurrent, educational sessions for sheriffs, command staff, finance and human resource personnel, jail administrators, fleet managers, information technology personnel, purchasing agents, and executive assistants, as well as teen driver challenge instructors. During networking breaks, conference attendees engaged with vendors in the virtual Vendor Hall, where they learned about new products and services to benefit their agencies. FSA’s 2020 Annual Partners were included among other sponsors and exhibitors in the hall.

Each year, the FSA solicits for Annual Partnership. Annual Partners are companies who commit to supporting and sponsoring all three of FSA’s conferences throughout the year. The 2020 Annual Partners have continued to stand by and support the FSA while navigating the world of conferences during a pandemic. The financial support of these companies allowed FSA to provide its first ever virtual conference at no charge to sheriff’s office personnel.

FSA is appreciative to the entire team of dedicated staff and volunteers who made this conference a success from beginning to end.