AVON PARK — Former Daytona Beach Police Capt. Matthew Doughney's new beat as Avon Park's top police officer begins today after he is sworn in as the new police chief. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. inside Avon Park's City Council Chambers. City Manager Sarah Adelt said that Doughney will earn $68,000 a year to take over the department. Adelt, his boss, earns $69,775 annually. ...more

May 11, 2008

AVON PARK — The police chief search committee has thinned out its field of applicants, leaving 14 candidates out of the 61 who sent their resumes to then-city manager C.B. Shirey to seek Avon Park's top police job. Highlands Today confirmed that the field includes at least four applicants from Highlands County and at least two from the Fort Meade area. City officials provided a list of the 14 candidates with titles for the last positions they held, but more details on the candidates were not released. Interim City Manager Sarah Adelt said the committee originally trimmed the field to 15 candidates, but one of them removed himself from consideration after he was hired elsewhere. Eight of the 14 candidates last held high-ranking positions in local police departments, with three of them being current or former police chiefs. Adelt said that all 14 entries on the "short list" have law enforcement experience. Adelt said she's hoping the committee will narrow it to "no more than five candidates, hopefully three" within the next two weeks. ...more

February 5, 2008

AVON PARK — The city's search for a new police chief could be put on hold if City Manager C.B. Shirey becomes the Avon Park Executive Airport's manager next month. Shirey said that the council would instead try to find his replacement before they fill the vacant police chief position. He had no estimate on how long this could take, saying it depends on how quickly the city begins advertising the open position. The Avon Park Police Department has had its police chief position vacant since late September, when then-Police Chief Frank Mercurio was forced to resign. Since then, Shirey received 60 applications for the position. APPD Cmdr. Michael Rowan, who has assumed Mercurio's old duties while the city was searching for a new chief, said he did not expect this delay to have any further impact on the department. ...more

December 21, 2007

AVON PARK — City Manager C.B. Shirey applied to be the Avon Park Executive Airport's manager Tuesday, a move that could force him to resign as the city manager if he were hired. The city council could hire him as early as Jan. 2 when they have their next meeting. If he is hired, Shirey might continue acting as the city manager until a replacement is found. Shirey announced his intentions Monday. Some council members became aware of Shirey's plans only the morning before the meeting. They would have hired Shirey that day, but Shirey did not complete the application until Tuesday. ...more

December 12, 2007

AVON PARK — Apparently, a lot of cops want to live here. In the six weeks since the police chief's job has been advertised, 58 officers have applied, and they are qualified. "I have applications from three who claim they have law degrees," said City Manager C.B. Shirey. "Two have Ph.D.s. I have a lot who have been in the education side or the administrative side of law enforcement, or who have had special duties." One, a United Nations police officer, is an expert knife fighter, Shirey said. "Some are retired already, and some are overqualified," Shirey said. "It makes you wonder why they want to come to Avon Park. Some may just have the moving-to-Florida syndrome." Advertisements were placed in local newspapers, on the city's Web site, with the Florida League of Cities and the International Police Chief's Association. ...more

November 17, 2007

AVON PARK — With both major precincts counted, an unofficial count had Mayor Sharon Schuler almost 100 votes ahead of the next-highest candidate for mayor, while Avon Park Middle School teacher Al Hinson held a sizable lead in the council election Tuesday night. Schuler, with 329 votes, will likely remain mayor for another three years as she holds an insurmountable lead over former Gordon Marshall in the mayoral race. Marshall, with 223 votes, is a distant second, while Ed Dickerson had 159 votes and Gonzalo Lezama 47. Schuler said she wasn't expecting it. Truly. "Everyone has an opportunity to win," she said as she came to the supervisor of election's office to see the vote counting. "I'm very happy." Hinson, meanwhile, has 250 votes, holding a solid lead over Paul Miller's 202 backers, Michael Shirey's 177 and James Rahenkamp's 140. Hinson, reached by phone Tuesday evening, was cautiously optimistic that he would hold on to the lead. "I thought it would be close," he said. "I feel good... I guess the people went out and voted. Hopefully it's official but I am happy." ...more

November 6, 2007

AVON PARK — The police chief's position was frozen until the council voted unanimously to thaw it Monday, but also tacked a residency requirement so that Frank Mercurio's successor must live within 10 driving miles of the city limit. ...more

October 10, 2007

AVON PARK — Police Cmdr. Michael J. Rowan, now serving as interim Avon Park police chief after the forced resignation of former chief Frank Mercurio, said Wednesday that he plans to apply for the open position. City Manager C.B. Shirey said he's already received 13 applications for the position. The new acting chief has been busy adjusting to the transition and wants to take his time to submit an application. ...more

October 5, 2007

AVON PARK — As Avon Park Police Chief Frank Mercurio steps down today, the officers under him say it will be "business as usual" as Cmdr. Michael Rowan becomes the acting chief. Seeing Mercurio leave, they said they were shocked, upset and still hurting over it. "As the week goes along, it doesn't get any better," APPD Detective Sgt. Jason Lister said Thursday. "You're not going to find a sworn member of this staff that's not going to give you the same feelings." Lister and six other APPD officers contacted by Highlands Today were almost monolithic in their sentiments, but they said that they would remain with the department despite the situation. ...more

September 28, 2007

Like everything, there's a lot of gray area with Avon Park Police Chief Frank Mercurio's resignation. He's an honest man who worked hard to clean up the city he was hired to protect. His tactics and personality, however, didn't mesh with enough people, and most importantly, the people he worked for. That's always a recipe for failure. ...more

September 20, 2007