Bogart Enters The Running For Pasco Sheriff

Kim Bogart, a former contender for the job of Pasco Sheriff, said Thursday afternoon that he had added his name to the pool of applicants seeking to be the county's next top cop.

His announcement came the same day , a recently promoted member of White's command staff, announced that he had applied for the job.

Pasco County Sheriff Bob White announced March 16 that he is retiring from his job,

Bogart, who said he has also filed to run for the job in the general election, and Nocco are competing against two other candidates who want to win Gov. Rick Scott's appointment to finish out White's third term.

Bogart, who gave an interview over the phone Thursday afternoon, said he had sent off his application for the interim sheriff's job to the governor's office and expected it to reach there Friday. He said he also filed his paperwork with the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections' Office Thursday and that it should be online Friday.

Bogart lost to White in the 2008 general election by only 4,002 votes. Bogart worked for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for 16 years, ascending to the ranks of captain and major. He is the executive director of the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission and has also done consulting for law enforcement and corrections agencies to prepare them for accreditation.

Neither Nocco nor Bogart wanted to go into detail about the changes they wanted to bring to the agency at this early date. 

However, Nocco said some of the biggest issues facing Pasco are the illegal prescription pill "epidemic" in Pasco, ensuring safety in schools and economic development.  

Among issues of importance to Bogart are the agency's budget and relationship with the county commission. White recently battled county commissioners over $4 million he wanted added to his budget. He wanted the extra money so he could hire more deputies and cover escalating insurance and pension costs. White appealed the budget with the governor, but he and the county reached a settlement right before a hearing in Tallahassee.

"I don't believe he needed as much as he was asking, and I think there are other strategies to get what he was asking for," Bogart said.  "And if I didn't think I could do it better, I wouldn't be running."    

Whoever is appointed to succeed White will serve until voters elect a new sheriff in the 2012 general election.