The Sunshine Journal gives their thought on the Indian River County Sheriff’s Debate – https://thomasaugustus.substack.com/p/the-sheriffs-debate-was-a-fascinating?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

Do a simple a straw poll among your impartial friends, if you can find any concerning this race, and most will say that Fellsmere Chief of Police, Keith Touchberry, won this debate. Others believe it too.

Mr. Touchberry has been Fellsmere’s chief since 2013 and has 35 years of law enforcement experience. He started his career in 1989 as a Vero Beach police officer. He worked his way through the ranks to senior Captain (there wasn’t a “deputy chief”) before taking the Fellsmere position.

In January, Chief Touchberry was endorsed for Indian River County Sheriff by the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FLPCA). He led the FLPCA as its president in 2022-2023.  He has a Masters in Criminal Justice from UCF. In the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, he developed a college course, Future Educators Response To Emergency Situations, which teaches classroom safety and response in emergencies as part of an Education degree program. The Florida Department of Education is implementing the university level curriculum statewide.

However, in his answer about leadership, his understanding came directly from military service. Chief Touchberry gave the money quote from the debate. “I went to the greatest school of leadership, and that’s the United States Marine Corp.” he said causing an eruptive applause. He continued, “It is based on servant leadership. You take care of your people before you take care of yourself. You are not driven by self-interest or influenced by special interest, you are motivated by community interest. You do what you have to do, because that is what you signed on to do, and that is what people expect you to do.”

Touchberry’s understanding of leadership went beyond just having the backs of his officers, which was an important point made by Sheriff Flowers. It addressed the whole community of policing and respecting all officers within the county for the sake of themselves and the citizens they serve.