Gainesville Police Department’s newest Chief of Police traveled over 2,000 miles across the United States for his career in public service.
From Palm Bay, where he worked his way up to chief over the course of 31 years, to his post-retirement position as Deputy County Executive for Suffolk County, New York, Nelson Moya has dedicated his life to law enforcement. Now, Moya has been hired as GPD’s newest chief of police.
Before becoming GPD chief, Moya was named as an assistant chief in June 2023, then as an interim chief after former chief Lonnie Scott resigned.
After a national search, Moya was inducted on Sept. 13 as GPD’s permanent chief of police.
Moya originally moved from Ecuador to Colombia, then to South Bronx, New York. Those moves helped him learn the art of immersing himself into new communities, he said.
But during his time transitioning to assistant chief and learning the culture of Gainesville, he was thrust into a wave of gun violence in the city, he said.
“That's what I saw as the biggest challenge, right, how to tackle gun violence, get it under control and break it down,” he said.
While gun violence can be reduced, it can never be eliminated, he said. Moya has since made it his top priority with his Gun Violence Prevention Initiative.
His other priority: uniting GPD both internally and externally.
“True engagement happens when no one is watching,” he said.
While community activities like “Coffee with a Cop” and city commission meetings are typical opportunities for engagement with civilians, he instead tries to focus on personal, one-on-one connections with them, he said.
“Those are opportunities that leave a community going, ‘Okay, I think I know what this police department stands for,’” Moya said, “and that's what I'm hoping for more than anything.”
Commitment to ensuring both police employees and city residents have the same idea of GPD is essential, he said.
From the first time Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward sat down with Moya, Ward said he made this goal clear.
Everyone, no matter who you ask — a civilian or sworn officer — should be able to say that GPD prioritizes gun violence first, followed closely by homelessness and traffic injuries or deaths, Ward said..
Since stepping in as chief, Ward said Moya has made advancements on all fronts, as there has not been a single gun-caused murder in Gainesville since July 12, Ward said.
Moya in general has been “head and shoulder above the rest” by bringing a fresh new perspective to the department, he said.
In a press conference discussing the Emergency Operation Center in preparation for Hurricane Milton, a last-minute oversight occurred and a translator was not present, Ward said.
A reporter from a Spanish-speaking radio station asked for a translation and without someone present, Chief Moya walked up to the mic and translated everything said, on the spot.
“That’s who he is,” Ward said.
This holds true for 49-year-old Mariano Augello, Palm Bay Police Department’s chief of police, who was appointed when Moya left for Suffolk County.
Augello worked under Moya’s supervision for 15 years, he said. Throughout his time there, he witnessed Moya’s magnetic leadership style.
“People would gravitate towards him,” he said. “He had such an energy about him that you just wanted to follow him.”
Augello was confident that even when Moya was hired as assistant chief at Gainesville Police Department, he would later be appointed to head chief of police, he said.
“It was inevitable,” he said. “He's driven and he's got that presence about him.”
During his time as chief in Palm Bay from August 2019 to March 2022, Moya focused similarly on big-ticket issues that Gainesville currently experiences, including violent crime initiatives like gun violence.
While Moya is no longer in the field fighting crimes as he did as a sergeant or as a part of the Palm Bay SWAT team, his work always has a purpose, Augello said.
Augello said he’s working to replicate Moya’s sense of purpose in his own time as police chief.
Isabela Reinoso contributed to this report.
Contact Kairi Lowery at klowery@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kairiloweryy.
Kairi Lowery is a third-year journalism major and a metro general assignment reporter for The Alligator. When she's not writing you can find her lounging on the beach with a book or collecting vinyls.
