{"id":7908,"date":"2021-01-29T14:48:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T19:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=7908"},"modified":"2021-01-29T14:48:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T19:48:14","slug":"meet-new-st-johns-county-sheriff-rob-hardwick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/meet-new-st-johns-county-sheriff-rob-hardwick\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet new St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s often said that timing is everything. With new St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick\u2019s career spanning military service and a variety of law enforcement positions, he believed the timing was right in 2020 for a new challenge. He decided to run for the office of sheriff upon the retirement of long-time Sheriff David Shoar and won nearly 70 percent of the vote in the Primary Election followed by another victory in the General Election in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to thank voters for their overwhelming support,\u201d Hardwick said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let them down. The sheriff\u2019s office will be involved in the community like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardwick moved with his family to St. Augustine as a young boy when his father decided to move his business, Hardwick Fence, to the area. He attended Catholic schools and graduated from St. Joseph Academy, where he met his wife, Kendall, whom he calls his \u201cbest friend.\u201d The couple will celebrate their 30th anniversary in April and have two adult sons: Cole, a graduate of Florida State University and law school graduate who works locally, and Brett, a Flagler College graduate who is a Chinook helicopter pilot in the Florida National Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career-wise, Hardwick\u2019s experience is diverse. Upon graduation from St. Joseph Academy, he went into active duty with the US Army. As a paratrooper, his first combat tour was with the 82nd Airborne during Desert Storm. He served four years and then went into the reserves with the Florida National Guard. He came home, got married to high school sweetheart Kendall, began taking college courses (something he did part time for several years before finally earning a bachelor\u2019s degree from Flagler College and a Masters from Barry University) and started working in the Florida Department of Corrections at the Tomoka Correctional Institute in Daytona Beach. He said this was his \u201cfirst taste\u201d of the corrections aspect of law enforcement and it remains a priority for him to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he enjoyed working at the jail, he felt he could make a difference as the first contact rather than after incarceration, so he became a deputy with the Flagler County Sheriff\u2019s Office and obtained experience with law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was actually my first time wearing green,\u201d he said, referring to the uniform color of county sheriff deputies in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His career continued with a stint with the St. Augustine City Police Department in the mid-1990s. He enjoyed police officer work and helping families and eventually moved to a bicycle unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was possibly the best job I had in my career,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is truly \u2018in your face\u2019 policing, with no car to protect you and I found it very satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardwick was moved to the detective unit, where he worked closely with the State Attorney\u2019s office and often testified in court cases. This would lead to his next position \u2014 but a reactivation by the Florida National Guard in 2003 to go to war in the Middle East delayed those plans by nearly two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was actually hired by the State Attorney as assistant chief investigator while I was deployed,\u201d Hardwick said. \u201cThey swore me in over the phone from the country of Jordan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His most recent position before he became St. Johns County\u2019s new sheriff was as head of the St. Augustine Beach Police Department. During his tenure, the agency was accredited and re-accredited each year for his eight years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt I left the agency in a better position than I received it,\u201d Hardwick said of his decision to move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now as sheriff of St. Johns County, Hardwick has begun the task of molding SJSO into his vision. A believer in efficient command structures as a result of his military experience, Hardwick has five directors who report directly to him (Patrol, Criminal Investigation, Jail, Operations, and General Services) instead of a single undersheriff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He cites the challenges of COVID as well as the rapid growth of St. Johns County (even during the pandemic) as reasons that efficiency and better processes are part of his vision. Relationships between the Sheriff\u2019s Office with the Board of County Commissioners, the St. Johns County School Board, local businesses and the faith community are all key, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to make sure we have the best partnerships with all these groups and everybody knows we are \u2018all in,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardwick says he is a leader by \u201cwalking around\u201d and has already walked the jail and ridden on patrol. Dealing with the mental health crisis is a priority. Among other initiatives, he plans to target human trafficking and drugs that are coming through the county on Interstate 95 as well as institute a pilot program for body cameras early this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his spare time, Hardwick continues to coach youth sports, even after his children have become adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love to mentor young kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo courtesy Caitee Hawker
Rob Hardwick and family on the morning of his swearing in as St. Johns County Sheriff, Jan. 5, 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Martie Thompsoneditor@floridanewsline.com It\u2019s often said that timing is everything. With new St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick\u2019s career spanning military service and a variety of law enforcement positions, he believed the timing was right in 2020 for a new challenge. 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