Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
J.M. "Buddy" Phillips was sworn in as Sheriff of Suwannee County on Jan. 7, 1969. Having grown up in Suwannee County and being the son of former Live Oak Mayor J. Marvin Phillips, public service was only natural for the 29-year-old lawman, one of the youngest in the state.
Phillips was destined to modernize the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) and help usher in a new era for the region. Having attended the National FBI Academy in 1967, he picked up on new methods of law enforcement that were beneficial to the community in cracking down on crime.
Throughout the four years of Phillips's service as sheriff, turbulent times were happening throughout the country. The Vietnam War was still raging, Civil Rights continued to be a hot-button topic, and public confidence in the government was beginning to falter. However, Phillips was able to keep Suwannee County safe at home. There were no significant riots or notable crimes. And as he came into office, Suwannee County was on the verge of changing attitudes toward race. In 1970, Suwannee County schools were officially desegregated, and by the end of Buddy's term, African Americans were serving in most aspects of public service in the county.
Then, in 1972, Robert Leonard challenged him for reelection. Leonard was a Florida Highway Patrol veteran who was serving as a beverage agent for the Florida Division of Beverages at the time of his campaign for sheriff. Unfortunately for Phillips, Leonard would pose a threat to his reelection chances, with him ousting Phillips as sheriff in November of 1972. "We are not sure why Buddy lost," His brother, Joe Phillips, said. "But we thought highly of both my brother and Leonard."
Leonard would go on to serve Suwannee County until 1997 when Al Williams was sworn in.
Not long after losing the sheriff's race to Leonard, Phillips took on a job in Tallahassee with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in 1973. For years, Phillips would take on a number of roles within the agency. During the first 10 years of his time with FDLE, Buddy served as a training specialist assigned to the Florida Law Enforcement Academy. By 1983, he would become the Senior Executive Assistant to the Commissioner, which ultimately evolved into the title of Inspector-Director of Mutual Aid.
His role as the Director of Mutual Aid oversaw the execution of the Florida Mutual Aid Act, which passed in 1969. The act enabled state and local law enforcement to share resources in the case of major incidents, such as riots and natural disasters. The role ultimately became a peacekeeping effort on Phillips's part to calm the waters of multiple sheriff offices throughout Florida.
Phillips received the first call in January of 1983, when Governor Bob Graham removed Sheriff Daniel Bennett of Flagler County due to several alleged actions leveled against him. This move did not sit well with Bennett.
The situation was tense. Investigators with FDLE were armed and ready for a confrontation with Bennett, as they were falsely told that he had heavy artillery in his office and may have put up a fight. However, Bennett surrendered peacefully, handed over the keys to the sheriff's vehicle to Phillips, and left. Phillips then went on the radio and announced to all active deputies that Flagler County had a new sheriff.
Phillips ensured that, while acting sheriff of Flagler County, he was only in place to oversee the continuity of the office of sheriff. "I have tried to make everyone aware that I have nothing to do with (Bennett's) investigation," Phillips told the Daytona Beach Morning Journal. "Certain things have to be done under Florida statutes when you assume office. It's no reflection on anyone else."
Over the next few weeks, he oversaw the operations of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office until Gov. Graham appointed Robert McCarthy, a veteran law enforcement officer, to finish Bennett's term on Feb. 8, 1983. Phillips returned to Tallahassee, but it wasn’t long before he was called to his next assignment, which was significantly different compared to the rest of the agencies. He would go on to serve as the temporary chief law enforcement officer.
In Glades County, located in South Florida, the citizens were in mourning. Sheriff William "Billy" Arnold, who was beloved by many in the county, had succumbed to a years-long battle with cancer on Nov. 18, 1983.
"It was a different situation," current Glades County Sheriff David Hardin said. "When Buddy came to a sheriff's office, it was always a question of, 'What did the sheriff do now?' But in Glades County, he had to bring a sense of healing to our community."
The agency was relatively small compared to Flagler County. “At the time of my father’s passing, there were only seven deputies or so,” Sheriff Arnold’s son, Arlon, said.
Phillips would serve as Sheriff of Glades County through the Thanksgiving holiday and into December, continuing to implement the anti-drug operations that Sheriff Arnold had started. He would hand over the office to veteran Florida Highway Patrol officer Russell Henderson, who was appointed to fulfill Arnold’s remaining term on Dec. 8, 1983.
"We knew that Buddy's time was different in Glades," Joe said. "But he never really talked about that time with anyone. He never really shared much about his work with his family ever. He tended to leave it at the office and focused on his family when he returned."
Though 1983 allowed Phillips to provide stability and calm to Flagler County and allowed Glades County to heal after the death of their sheriff, 1984 and 1985 would prove to be a busy couple of years for him. One assignment brought him closer to where it all began.
