Clovis Watson will soon be the future sheriff of Alachua County.
Watson will run unopposed on the November ballot after his opponent, Robert Brinkman, stepped out of the race.
Brinkman, a non-party affiliated, write-in candidate, sent a letter of withdrawal to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Friday morning, said TJ Pyche, director of communications at the elections office.
In his letter, Brinkman wrote he chose to withdraw “for personal reasons and due to changing circumstances.” Brinkman didn’t respond to The Alligator’s request for a comment as of Wednesday night.
Watson did not respond to The Alligator’s request for comment after multiple phone calls Wednesday.
Watson recently won the Democratic primary election against Sadie Darnell, who was Florida’s only female sheriff for about 14 years, after receiving 59.31% of the votes.
His key issues in the primary race were community policing, increasing ACSO’s engagement with individuals and nonprofits, focus on de-escalating high-stress situations with help and counseling and requiring diversity training for officers and deputies.
“I will address the needs of Alachua County,” said Watson during a July forum about COVID-19 response, police accountability, the school-to-prison pipeline and decarceration. “Everyone will feel fair and treated right, including my fellow law enforcement officers and deputies.”
