Board celebrates Chronister's 34 years at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners awarded its 2026 Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister during its May 6 Board meeting. Chronister joins the ranks of other esteemed recipients of the award that include Judge E.J. Salcines, former Governor Bob Martinez, and last year's recipient, the late Louis G. Betz Jr., a local civic leader and consultant, to name a few.
Chronister has served 34 years at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and has led the agency since 2017, winning subsequent re-election three times. During his tenure, Hillsborough County has seen a sustained decline in crime, driven by his emphasis on proactive policing, intra-agency collaboration, and data-driven enforcement strategies. Chronister has also led significant investments in advanced technology to improve deputy safety, public transparency, and real-time crime analysis. He oversaw the development of a real-time crime center, an in-house Firearms Lab, DNA Lab, and Digital Forensics Lab - each designed to streamline investigations, accelerate evidence processing, and bring swift justice for victims. Chronister currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay and is a Council Member of the Florida Attorney General's Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
After Chronister accepted the award, he thanked the Board and said that it was an honor to accept the award that symbolizes and celebrates teamwork and collaboration.
"Anyone who's able to ever receive such a distinguished honor…and receiving such incredible recognition, never stands here and celebrates success alone," he said. "You can't talk about Good Government…without talking about the Board of County Commissioners and County Administrator and the entire administration that provides our office with the tools, resources, equipment, benefits, innovation that we need to keep this community so safe and so vibrant."
For 29 years, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners has presented the Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award to an individual or group for the significant role they play in improving government through leadership and vision. The award is named in honor of Ellsworth G. Simmons, a respected government and civic leader who served seven years on the Hillsborough County School Board, and 21 years on the Board of County Commissioners.
The Board also presented a proclamation declaring May 6, 2026 as the Twentieth Annual Delta Day.
Interested in all the details about the latest BOCC meeting? Here is a full recap.
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