Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco to Resign in November, Who will be Next Sheriff of Pasco?

With Sheriff Nocco stepping down after nearly 15 years, Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint the next leader of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced Wednesday that he will resign from office in November, ending a nearly 15-year run at the helm of one of the county’s largest public agencies and setting up a gubernatorial appointment to fill the seat. Nocco said he is stepping down to run for the Florida State Senate District 21 seat being vacated by retiring state Sen. Ed Hooper.

The announcement came on the same day that Sen. Hooper, a Palm Harbor Republican who currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he will retire from politics. Hooper’s resignation will take effect on November 3, 2026 — the date of next year’s general election — a timing intended to allow a special election to run alongside the regular 2026 election cycle.

For Pasco County residents, the dual announcement carries two major implications: an open state Senate race that will reshape representation for southwest Pasco and north Pinellas, and a vacancy at the top of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office that will be filled by appointment rather than by voters.

Who Will Be Pasco County’s Next Sheriff?

Because Nocco’s resignation creates a vacancy in an elected constitutional office, the responsibility for filling it falls to the governor. Under Florida law, when a sheriff steps down mid-term, the governor appoints a replacement to lead the agency until voters choose a permanent successor at the next general election for the seat.

Nocco was re-elected in 2024 without opposition, and his current term was set to run through 2028. That means whoever Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints would lead the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for roughly two years before facing voters — or potentially longer, if that person chooses to run for the seat in their own right.

How the Process Usually Works

The selection is handled by the Governor’s Appointments Office in Tallahassee. There is no requirement for public hearings, a formal application window, or input from the county commission before the governor names an appointee. In practice, the office typically consults with state and local law enforcement leaders, Republican officials in the affected county, and the outgoing sheriff’s administration. A background check is conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before the appointment is finalized.

Once the appointment is announced, the new sheriff is sworn in and assumes all the duties of an elected sheriff — running the agency, setting policy, signing the budget, and serving as the county’s top law enforcement officer — until the next regular election for the position.

How Quickly Could It Happen?

Recent precedents suggest the governor’s office can move very fast when a sheriff’s seat opens up. When St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara abruptly retired in December 2023, Gov. DeSantis announced the appointment of Lt. Keith Pearson the same day Mascara’s retirement took effect, stating the goal was to ensure law enforcement operations continued without disruption. In Broward County in 2019, DeSantis named Gregory Tony as sheriff on the same day he suspended then-Sheriff Scott Israel.

Pasco’s situation is different in one important way: Nocco has given roughly six months of advance notice rather than stepping down immediately. That gives the governor’s office an unusually long window to vet candidates and finalize a choice. The announcement could come anywhere from weeks before November to the day of the transition itself.

Who Might Be in the Mix?

At this stage, there is no clear frontrunner. The governor’s office has not publicly named a candidate or shortlist, and no individual has stepped forward as a contender.

In situations like this, the outgoing sheriff often conveys his preferences to the governor — whether through direct conversation, a formal recommendation, or behind-the-scenes consultation with political allies. Those preferences can carry significant weight, particularly when the outgoing sheriff has the kind of statewide political relationships Nocco has built over his 15 years in office.

That said, the appointment is ultimately the governor’s decision alone, and Gov. DeSantis is under no obligation to follow any recommendation. He has full discretion to choose whoever he believes is best suited to lead the agency — whether that is someone from inside the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, a leader at a neighboring Florida agency, a state law enforcement official, or another figure in the broader law enforcement community.

The current Pasco Sheriff’s Office undersheriffs are all relatively new to their roles, which makes it harder to point to a single internal candidate as the obvious successor. That uncertainty leaves the door open for a wide range of possibilities once the governor begins to weigh his options.

A Senate Race With Local Stakes

Senate District 21 covers portions of southwest Pasco County and north Pinellas County, an area that includes a sizable share of west Pasco’s communities. Hooper, who has served roughly 16 years in the Florida Legislature between his time in the House and Senate, said his retirement is rooted in a desire to step away from politics and support new leadership in Tallahassee.

Within hours of Hooper’s announcement, Senate President-designate Jim Boyd and Sen. Jay Trumbull issued a joint endorsement of Nocco’s campaign, signaling early institutional backing from Senate Republican leadership. According to public voter registration data referenced by Florida political publications, Republicans hold a roughly 45 percent share of the district’s electorate, while Democrats make up about a quarter.

Whether another Republican enters the primary remains unclear. Nocco’s name recognition across Pasco County — he ran unopposed in his last three sheriff’s elections — positions him as an early frontrunner.

Nocco’s Tenure at PSO

Nocco was first appointed sheriff in 2011 by then-Gov. Rick Scott. He was elected the following year and re-elected in 2016, 2020 and 2024, running unopposed in each of his last three campaigns. According to his official biography, his earlier law enforcement career included service with the Philadelphia Public School Police, the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, as well as roles as a captain and major within PSO before his appointment.

During his time as sheriff, Nocco oversaw a number of operational changes at the agency. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office became the first law enforcement department in the Tampa Bay area to adopt body-worn cameras, and Nocco helped establish the Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics, known as F1RST — a training center designed to connect public safety agencies, academic institutions and private-sector partners.

His tenure has also drawn scrutiny. The agency’s predictive policing program attracted national attention following a 2020 Tampa Bay Times investigation, and questions about the program’s methodology and impact on residents have remained part of public discussion since.

On the recognition side, the PSO School Resource Officer unit was named Unit of the Year by the Florida Association of School Resource Officers in 2022, and the agency has been recognized for its hiring of veterans.

What It Means for Pasco County

For residents across communities such as New Port Richey, Port Richey, Hudson, Trinity, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City, the coming transition will have practical effects. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest public agencies in the county, and the appointment of a new sheriff could influence patrol staffing, community programs and budgeting decisions during a period of continued growth countywide.

The state Senate race carries its own local weight. With Hooper stepping down from a key appropriations role in Tallahassee, west Pasco voters in District 21 will be choosing a new voice on issues including transportation funding, environmental protections, public safety budgets and the state’s response to growth across the Tampa Bay region.

Additional details — including the timing of the formal transition at PSO and the governor’s appointment process — are expected in the coming weeks.

For more local news and updates from across Pasco County, visit www.pascocommunity.com and follow Pasco Community Website on Facebook and Instagram.