04.06.23 Sheriff Prummell and Deputy Billy

On April 6th, 2023, at 9:00 AM, Sheriff Bill Prummell and Deputy Bill Prummell, Jr. came out to the island for an Info Central Town Hall on law enforcement. Joining them was Fire Chief Jason Fair and Michael Davis, Deputy Chief of Operations (Public Safety). Here’s what was discussed:

Sheriff Prummell spoke about Hurricane Ian and the aftermath:

We were lucky we did not get the storm surge from Ian. In Charlotte County, 75% of residents live on or near the shore. If storm hit further north, 75% of County would have been under water.

When you hear the call to evacuate – get out. 34 residents stayed on LGI, lucky they stayed alive. After the storm, mutual aid for CCSO came from all around the state. They move in to provide safety and security, also to give the CCSO staff a break so they can take care of their homes. Sheriff Prummell lost his home in the storm.

We already had a construction boom before the storm and now repairs are swamping local contractors.

Many contractors moved in from out of state so CCSO has been getting reports of lots of scams and theft of service. Be cautious: bring your fishing gear and things you store on boats inside and secure it.
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It is extra difficult for law enforcement now because they were already short on staff. Lack of applicants has CCSO competing with Lee & Sarasota for workers. They are presently investing in a real crime intelligence center, hiring analysts responding to major crime. CCSO has access to all of the cameras in all of the schools.

Deputy Billy spoke about local law enforcement issues:

This is Deputy BIlly’s twelfth year down here. Previously, he was part of an undercover surveillance team with the Private Investigations Unit. It was a big change for him coming out here. His patrol territory includes Palm Island, LGI and the north end of Boca Grande. When Billy is on the island, you will get a rapid response to your call. If a call comes in when he’s working, CCSO will dispatch Billy to the Island. He will come out here to respond. He can get here on an after-hours call. You may get a phone call from a deputy if the incident is after the fact, but in an active disturbance they will come. He familiarized deputies with all equipment available on the Island. Billy adjusts his schedule to be around more during spring break period. It is too hard to dedicate a deputy to the Island because they are spread thin. ​

Topic: Golf Carts.

The law for golf carts will be changing soon. Golf carting will require a driver’s license. Renters need to know. Adults can be held liable for criminal citation.
Do you have capability to ticket now for underage drivers? Yes.

Topic: Dogs on the beach.

Dogs are allowed on the beach but MUST be on a leash. This applies County-wide. Billy will initiate a report but according to Michael Davis, Deputy Chief of Operations (Public Safety), Animal Control has to handle the issue. If it’s a repeat offender, they can ticket. For interference with shorebird nesting and turtle nesting, FWC gets involved. Even if Billy is here on patrol, animal control has to be called to come out for dog complaints.

​Question:

Aren’t the animals gone by the time they get there?  That will most likely be the case. Take a photo of the dog! The more information you can provide to animal control, the better equipped they are to deal with it. They all have the same dispatcher – – same communication center. If it’s an emergency, dial 911. Otherwise dial Sheriff’s dispatch.

Topic: Driving on the beach.

Deputy Billy checks on vehicle tracks on the beach that are not tracks from the CCSO off-road vehicle. Question: are pedal assist bikes are allowed on the beach? Yes. Electric wheelchairs are not considered a motor vehicle on the beach.

Topic: Debris pickup & Illegal Dumping.

Reporting is sent to Billy, but this is mostly a timing issue where the debris piles were placed after the deadline for County removal. There is rarely intent. There is no violation unless they can make the case of intent i.e. contractor dumping on empty roads, vacant lots.​

The Economic Crimes Unit is investigating contractor scams.

Billy will share information with community about contractors that are involved when they are confident the case is made. During a state of emergency, out-of-state contractors are allowed to operate under another licensed contractor. Billy will post links for contractors who are licensed and insured in FL.

Topic: Speeding traffic.

Lots of times it looks like people are speeding but radar does not show them breaking the speed limit. In part, the dust clouds help create the appearance of high speed. Enforcement of speed limit is difficult here. They have to establish abuse of speed limit, then explore traffic mitigation options.

Comment: If tickets for speeding were issued, word would get around and discourage speeding. Billy uses speeding warnings with discretion. The Sheriff could establish a policy of no more warnings for speeding, but that means the policy will be enforced equally for all. The actual speed limit is 25 MPH on North Gulf, 20 MPH everywhere else.

Comment: R&B had requested all of the speed limits be lowered and the County turned them down.  639-2101 (check) non-emergency number.

 

Other misc.

Bring to Billy’s attention any places where he may need to establish “directed patrol”.
Billy participates in marine emergency response. The Coast Guard support equipment is less up-to-date than CCSO. CCSO has air support with helicopters and harnesses for water rescue.

If something is going on, don’t wait to see Billy. Call the sheriff’s dispatch non-emergency number. A deputy would rather come out and find out it’s a minor issue than to wait and find out it was a major incident. At that point it’s too late to follow up. If there’s an active situation, the barge will hold for CCSO. Also, they have a dock available to bring the marine unit.

In a storm, particularly with a storm surge, EMS comes off the Island. 911 service stops at 45 mph sustained winds. When they make the decision to call for evacuation, get out. Try to be proactive and get out early.  Heed the warnings.