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St. Augustine Beach selects new police chief

Interim Police Chief Dan Carswell has been selected as the permanent St. Augustine Beach Police Chief. (Provided by St. Augustine Beach PD)

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. – Interim Police Chief Daniel Carswell has been selected to take on the permanent role for the city of St. Augustine Beach.

The City Commission voted unanimously Monday to appoint Carswell as the permanent chief. He has served as the interim chief since Nov. 9, 2020, following the departure of Rob Hardwick to become the St. Johns County Sheriff.

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Hardwick was among those who spoke on Carswell’s behalf at the meeting, saying he strongly supports Carswell both as the sheriff and someone with family living in St. Augustine Beach.

“I am very excited and honored to be selected as chief of police. The St. Augustine Beach Police Department has an outstanding history of police chiefs who were loved by this community and the officers they led. I hope to continue in that tradition and maintain the reputation that the SABPD has earned,” Carswell said. “This agency means everything to me, and I am going to continue to work hard to serve this community every day. I am very thankful for the support of my family, friends, and entire SABPD family. Without their help and support over the past year, this would not have been possible.”

Carswell began his career with the St. Augustine Beach Police Department 15 years ago in 2006. He worked his way up from patrolman to patrol operations lieutenant and was promoted to commander in 2020 by Hardwick before he was selected later that year as the interim police chief.

“Dan Carswell’s appointment as the St. Augustine Beach Chief of Police is very appropriate and well-deserved. Chief Carswell’s dedication, love of the city, plus his proven ability as interim chief to lead our police department and coordinate with other agencies make him the perfect choice,” Mayor Margaret England said. “I am grateful for his service and wish him every success.”

Chief Carswell has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from Flagler College and is currently enrolled with Barry University completing his Master of Public Administration degree. He is a graduate of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Senior Leadership Program and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Florida Executive Development Seminar.


About the Author
Francine Frazier headshot

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.

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