Leon Sheriff endorses Attorney General Ashley Moody and Charlie Crist for governor

Local sheriffs formed a green line of support around Attorney General Ashley Moody Thursday in her reelection campaign against former state attorney Aramis Ayala.

Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, along with Gadsden’s Morris Young, and Wakulla’s Jared Miller, joined with 61 other Florida county sheriffs in releasing statements endorsing Moody.

McNeil, who in November accepted a position on the Florida Democratic Party's "Safety & Justice Task Force," and served as the Tallahassee Chief of Police in the 1990s, told the Tallahassee Democrat he made a law enforcement decision, not a political one in standing with Moody.

"I'm a Democrat. I'm a strong Democrat," said McNeil, adding he was aware of the sensitivities of his endorsement of a Republican while being an elected official in a county dominated by Democrats.

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But he said, he has had the opportunity to work with Moody and they see eye to eye on criminal justice reforms.

"Particularly as it relates to dealing with the youth in our community and trying to come up with ways in which we send fewer of our young people into prison systems," said McNeil, who served as the Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice when Congressman Charlie Crist was governor.

The Moody endorsement was among four McNeil, made Friday.

He endorsed his old boss, Crist, for governor. McNeil had also served as Crist's Secretary of the Department of Corrections.

And he threw his support to Congresswoman Val Demings, former Chief of the Orlando Police Department in a race to unseat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. McNeil also backs the re-election of Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee.

When asked why he will split his ticket and shun Democrat Ayala in favor of Moody, McNeil said he knew Moody and didn't "know the other lady very much at all."

Aramis had served as the Orange Osceola State Attorney and the state's first Black state attorney from 2016 to 2020.

She refused to seek the death penalty in capital cases, which prompted then-Gov. Rick Scott to assign a number of cases to other state attorneys. The Legislature also cut the budget for Aramis' office, and she did not seek reelection.

Last week, Democrats nominated Aramis to be Attorney General. If she wins in November, she would become the state's first Black Attorney General.

Moody said the show of support among the sheriffs was unprecedented, which “no other statewide or federal elected official has received.” In a prepared statement, she said it was a “testament” to her efforts to “combat human and drug trafficking, opioid addiction, senior scams and more.”

Among her first term achievements cited on her campaign website, Moody said she has emerged as a leader in the effort “against unlawful vaccine mandates, the lack of border enforcement by federal officials and the harmful actions of Big tech.”

Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller said Moody adheres to the core values found in Wakulla.

“This is what we need as Florida’s ‘Top Cop’ and I am honored to offer my steadfast support of her re-election campaign,” said Miller.

The Attorney General is the state’s chief legal officer and advises lawmakers on the constitutionality of legislation, issues legal opinions, file lawsuits on behalf of consumers and enforces the state’s antitrust laws.

Ayala charges Moody has ignored those duties to defend unconstitutional initiatives promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and approved by the Legislature, such as the Stop WOKE Act, the so-called Don’t Say Gay law, along with restrictions on access to abortion and voting.

Ayala said as Attorney General her top priority will be to ensure rights to privacy and voting are protected.

“Why are we still having conversations about the right to vote? A right that death has literally paid the price for,” said Ayala, during an August campaign stop in Tallahassee.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida county sheriffs nearly unanimous in support of Ashley Moody