BUNNELL, Fla. - Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly received the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) Lifetime Achievement Award Monday at the FSA Summer Conference.
To be eligible for this award, a person must have a total of 40 years of sworn or non-sworn service in law enforcement, with at least 20 years plus one day of service for a Florida sheriff.
Staly began his law enforcement career in 1975 as a police officer in Oviedo, and later in Altamonte Springs.
He served for 23 years at the Orange County Sheriffs Office, being promoted through the ranks to undersheriff, or second-in-command, of the fourth largest sheriff's office in Florida and the thirteenth largest sheriff's office in the nation where he commanded a force of 2,000 employees and a budget of $120 million.
During his career in Orange County he received many awards including the Governors Medal of Heroism after saving the life of a Deputy Sheriff.