Vice Mayor Endorses Swope, Mayor Backs Gualtieri

General Election in November

On Tuesday, November 6, Gulfport voters will head to the polls and choose who they think is the best person to lead our county, our state and our county's sheriff's office, among other races.

The candidates for Pinellas County Sheriff are:

• , (Rep)
• (Dem)
• Greg Pound, (Wri)

Endorsements by Gulfport City Leaders

Gulfport Mayor Mike Yakes says he supports incumbent, Bob Gualtieri, while Vice Mayor Sam Henderson is endorsing Democratic Candidate Scott Swope. Fellow councilors, Jennifer Salmon, Dan Liedtke and Barbara Banno are currently not supporting a candidate.

Mayor Yakes says he met with Bob Gualtieri prior to the August primary and feels confident Gualtieri's views are in line with Gulfport's needs.

"I understood his point of views and the direction that he wished to lead our sheriff’s department.

I’ve had more opportunity than the other candidates to speak with a current sheriff. I don’t site the relationship as of key importance, as the knowledge of the county and small municipalities needs. That is important to me, (for Gualtieri) to understand the challenges we have to maintain our accredited police department."

"It just equates to my support," Yakes said.

Vice Mayor Sam Henderson says Swope is the best candidate and publicly endorsed Swope. Below is an excerpt from a media release from the Swope's campaign.

"I believe Scott Swope to be the best candidate for the important task of serving as Pinellas County Sheriff, and I further trust that if he is elected he will strive to improve the quality of services provided by our Sheriff's department," said Henderson.  

Swope responded, “I'm honored to have Councilmember Henderson's endorsement, and I look forward to working with him and his local officers to insure rapid response times for all of his fellow Gulfport citizens,” according to the release.

About the Candidates:

Learn more about all three candidates in our series, Candidates answered everything from shaping drug laws to contracting with cities.

Gualtieri and Swope also prepared a brief bio for Patch. Here are the links on Gulfport Patch:

Patch has also prepared profiles about each candidate: