Emery Gainey will take over the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office beginning Oct. 2, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press release Thursday.
Gainey formerly served as the Marion County sheriff appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott. He went on to work at the Florida attorney general’s office.
Gainey will succeed Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr., who has served since winning his election in 2020. Watson will resign Oct. 1 before the end of his term, due to medical problems.
Gainey will be the first Republican to serve as Alachua County Sheriff since 2006.
Contact Alissa at agary@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @AlissaGary1.
Alissa Gary is a second-year journalism major who's covering K-12 education for The Alligator. She has previously reported on student government and university administration. Aside from writing, she likes to take care of her plants and play (and usually win) the New York Times sudoku puzzle.
