St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson eyes changes after Ken Mascara’s abrupt retirement

FORT PIERCE — When Keith Pearson learned Gov. Ron DeSantis had tapped him to succeed Ken Mascara as sheriff of St. Lucie County, the veteran deputy wasn’t consulted about the appointment before Friday’s surprise announcement, he said.

“I got a phone call about 30 minutes before the press release came out that the governor put his confidence in me to lead St. Lucie County,” Pearson said Saturday. “And it's just been very, very humbling and exciting since then.”

Pearson, 40, a lieutenant deputy who joined the sheriff’s office at age 19, said Mascara also didn’t alert him ahead of time about his plans to abruptly retire Friday after more than two decades on the job.

“It’s still shocking, you know. It's an honor that the governor selected me as the next sheriff to take us into the future,” Pearson said. “Most importantly, Sheriff Mascara gave 23 years to this community. He did an excellent job and (me) and the citizens will always be indebted to the service that he provided here.”

DeSantis on Friday appointed Pearson as sheriff "to ensure law enforcement operations continue without delay," a governor’s news release stated.

Mascara, 65, didn’t respond to efforts Saturday to reach him by phone.

Why did Mascara suddenly resign?

First elected in 2000, Mascara was sworn in for his sixth term in 2021, which he said would be his last.

In a letter Mascara released Friday afternoon to the public, he cited ongoing “health issues” for his departure. He’s currently out of state seeking treatment, he noted.

“With a rapidly developing scenario of medical procedures on the horizon, with heavy heart, I contacted our governor and explained my dilemma,” Mascara wrote.

On Saturday, his profile page was no longer available at the sheriff’s office website.

State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl said Mascara said nothing about his sudden exit plan and his office wasn’t consulted by DeSantis or his staff about who might replace him as sheriff.

“I didn’t know (Mascara) was considering retiring and certainly didn’t know who they were considering putting in his place,” Bakkedahl said. “I would have appreciated a call. And I’m sure there are other people in the community who would have liked to offer input.”

In June, Mascara was cleared after being the target of a criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over allegations he recruited a "ghost candidate" to eliminate a rival in the 2020 election.

Prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence Mascara and others broke the law in promoting a straw candidate in the 2020 primary and general elections for sheriff, state records show. Kevin Carter, a retired St. Lucie County deputy, defeated Richard Williams, a former Florida Highway Patrol trooper, in the Republican primary. Mascara, a Democrat, defeated Carter in the general election.

Pearson’s long career includes awards and use-of-force probe

Before his Friday appointment, Pearson has been a lieutenant in charge of school security over the county’s 48,000 students, worked in the crime investigations unit and started out in corrections at the county jail. He was hired as a deputy in 2003 after attending the police academy. He also has an associate degree in criminal justice from Indian River State College.

“I've pretty much been exposed to every aspect of the agency,” he said. “My entire adult career has been here serving St. Lucie County.”

Pearson was born in New York but moved to St. Lucie County at age 3 and grew up in Fort Pierce, where he attended Lincoln Park Academy. He lives in Port St. Lucie with his wife Brandi; the couple married in 2005.

In 2010 at age 26, Pearson was recognized with the Treasure Coast "Peers" award from ASIS International, a worldwide organization of security professionals. He was recognized in 2009 with a commendation award for his assistance to the sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division.

He’s also the recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice Distinguished Service Medal and the U. S. Southern District Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.

Pearson also has faced the scrutiny that follows a fatal police-involved shooting, records and media reports show.

On Dec. 19, 2012, Pearson and Fort Pierce Police Officer Keith Holmes fired multiple times at John Donald Augstgen Jr., 47, of Fort Pierce, who died days later.

The incident happened when Pearson and Holmes, who had been working undercover, interrupted an alleged drug deal. Augstgen attempted to run them down while driving a pickup truck, reports stated. A grand jury cleared both men in 2013.

Will Pearson’s appointment shake up the 2024 sheriff’s race?

Pearson on Saturday declined to say whether he will join the field of five candidates — three Republicans and two Democrats — campaigning for sheriff in next year’s election. The primary is in August and the general election is Nov. 5.

“We’ll have some announcements coming out shortly,” Pearson said. “We need to make this about Sheriff Mascara, and not about me or any of that.”

Still, he suggested that changes for both the vision and direction for the agency are coming.

“Quality of life issues are going to be our first and foremost direction with the agency,” he said. “Working together with all the municipalities and local agencies at the state and federal level, we can continue to make St. Lucie County the prime destination of Florida because people know that they're going to be safe.”

Transparency, too he said, will be “key to the relationships” that build communities.

“We're only successful because the citizens allow us to be successful,” Pearson said. “We serve them, and that's something that we never need to forget, ever.”

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Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at  melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sheriff Keith Pearson mum about joining St. Lucie County sheriff race