OKEECHOBEE — At 2 p.m. on Friday, June 12, Sheriff Noel E. Stephen announced on Facebook that he is officially sheriff for another four years. According to Supervisor of Elections Diane Hagen, the only person who expressed interested in running, Jesse James Simmons, did not qualify in time to meet the deadline.
Mr. Simmons said he was unable to obtain the signatures he needed but had intended to pay the filing fees himself. Unfortunately, he did not have enough money and was not able to get a loan approved in time due to the coronavirus, he said. He was considering running a write-in candidate campaign, but Ms. Hagan said the election will not even be on the ballot.
Sheriff Stephen’s Facebook followers were not disappointed with the news, and his announcement was met with enthusiastic congratulations.