Mike Prendergast became the first Citrus County Sheriff to lose re-election in 44 years, bowing to a former Sheriff's captain whose vision of unity inspired voters.
David Vincent, the Citrus County School District Police Chief, won election with an astounding 63% of the vote against a two-term incumbent who collected twice as much money and was endorsed by Florida's top politicians.
"Our community has demanded change," Vincent said during a raucous celebration Tuesday night at the Train Station in Inverness. "They want somebody who will reach out to others in a spirit of cooperation and working together."
Citrus County had never seen a Sheriff's race like this one.
Prendergast has been an enigma since first arriving in Citrus County in Spring 2016 to run for Sheriff. He came with big-time credentials, as former Chief of Staff for Gov. Rick Scott who had resigned as the Director of Veteran Affairs to run for office.
He was elected, and then re-elected in 2020. Prendergast seemed headed for another easy election before a series of public relations blunders that began in 2022 and didn't let up.
He openly battled with county officials, antagonized Democrats and angered Donald Trump supporters with his agency's assistance in the arrest of a Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioter. When County Commissioners said they gave him all he requested in prior budgets, Prendergast responded this year with a 79% budget increase — which Commissioners ignored.
Meanwhile, opposition heated up. First, Calvin Adams Jr., a retired colonel with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, jumped in. Then, Vincent.
The race took a turn, though, with Doug Alexander's candidacy. Alexander, an Inverness pastor, former Sheriff's deputy and community leader known for helping Citrus County's downtrodden, urged voters to veer from Prendergast and toward a community-minded candidate.
On the final day of qualifying both Adams and Alexander dropped out, throwing their support to Vincent.
Vincent, who retired from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office in 2020 as a captain after a 27-year career spanning several areas of the agency, had pledged a more community-focused Sheriff's Office to seal partnerships with Citrus County officials. He said the county needs more focused traffic enforcement, and Vincent supported body-worn cameras for deputies.
Prendergast focused on what he calls "historic drug busts." Prendergast is known for posing for photos with undercover officers displaying confiscated drugs and weapons.
But it was a nonpolitical event that had Prendergast in knots.
At the Lecanto High School graduation ceremonies in May 2023, Deputy Andy Lahera was struck by a car and critically injured while directing traffic on a dark, drizzly night.
On the one-year anniversary of Lahera's injury, his wife, Michelle, penned a guest column in the Citrus County Chronicle that detailed Prendergast's plan to bump her husband from the Sheriff's employ without long-term medical benefits in place.
The community was outraged. Prendergast's attempts to deflect blame only brought more public scrutiny.
Vincent noted that Prendergast's endorsement from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody proved no help.
"Citrus County voted that it can take care of itself," he said.
B.R. Quinn was the last Citrus County Sheriff to lose re-election when Charlie Dean defeated him in 1980.
