Sheriff Gordon Smith

A native of Bradford County, George Paul “Gordon” Smith, graduated from Bradford County High School in 1985 and began his law enforcement career in 1986 with the Florida Department of Corrections. He then joined the Starke Police Department in 1987, moving to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office in 1990. 1999 brought a change for Gordon when he was selected as the Assistant Police Chief for the Starke Police Department and in 2001; he was elected to the position of Chief of Police for the City of Starke. In November 2008, after successful service as a Police Chief, he was elected as the Sheriff of Bradford County. Sheriff Smith completed his A.S. degree in 1999 from Vincennes University and is a Graduate of the FBI National Academy, 240th Session.

He is a State of Florida certified instructor in Firearms, Chemical Weapons, Officer Survival, D.A.R.E. and PPCT Impact Weapons. Sheriff Smith has completed numerous hours of executive training in leadership and management, such as Florida Sheriffs Executive Training (2008), National Sheriffs Institute of Executive Management and Training (97th Session), Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute Advanced Chiefs Training (2005), Florida Police Chiefs Executive Development (2002), Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute Chief Executive Seminar (class 26), Federal Executive Development Training (1999) and many others. Further, he has advanced training and attained certificates in the areas of Homicide Investigations, Criminal Interviews and Interrogations, Hostage Negotiations, Sex Crimes Investigations and National Incident Management Systems, to name a few. Sheriff Smith and his wife, Stefanie live in Starke, Florida and are the delighted parents of daughter Hailey and son Hayden.