CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – A significant shift in how Citrus County protects its students is heading to the School Board this April. Superintendent Scott Hebert and Sheriff David Vincent have jointly proposed a plan to dissolve the Citrus County School Board Police Department and hand all law enforcement duties over to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
The recommendation aims to consolidate resources and streamline the way local schools handle everything from daily patrols to emergency responses. If the board green-lights the move, the CCSO will take full command of the School Resource Officer (SRO) program and general campus safety initiatives across the district.
“This partnership allows us to align our school safety efforts with the full resources of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office while continuing to ensure a strong law enforcement presence on every campus,” Superintendent Hebert said, noting that student and staff safety remains the district’s primary concern.
A key part of the transition involves the School Safety Specialist—a role required by Florida law to oversee security policies and personnel. Under the new proposal, the district would contract this specific position out to the Sheriff’s Office.
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However, the district’s “School Guardians” will not be changing employers; while they will work closely with the Sheriff’s Office as a “security force multiplier,” they will remain official employees of the school district.
Sheriff Vincent pointed to the complexity of modern security as a driving factor for the merger. “This partnership allows us to better navigate a constantly changing security environment with efficiency of services, coordinated training, and emergency responses across all of our public schools,” Vincent said.
The public will get its first look at the formal proposal during the April 14th School Board meeting. If approved, the transition won’t happen overnight. Officials plan to phase in the changes over several months to prevent any gaps in security coverage or disruption to the daily lives of students and families.
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