Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
As J.M. “Buddy” Phillips wrapped up his three weeks at the Glades County Sheriff’s Office, it appeared that he would be able to settle back in his position as Director of Mutual Aid with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). However, Governor Bob Graham would call on the travel-weary Phillips to handle a dire situation in Columbia County.
On April 18, 1984, Columbia County Sheriff Steve Spradley was indicted on charges stemming from a major drug investigation. He was arrested and stripped of his title as sheriff, leaving Governor Graham to consider an interim replacement until he could find a more permanent leader.
When the opportunity to take on the role of acting Sheriff of Columbia County came, Phillips accepted the role and traveled to Lake City, where he attempted to cool the waters of an already tense sheriff’s office. The assignment, Buddy would share in interviews, brought him close to home.
Two and a half hours after Spradley was indicted, Phillips arrived at the Columbia County Courthouse in Lake City to meet with the county commissioners, then the deputies that were waiting for an update as to what happened.
“I’m sure this is a traumatic experience for everyone,” Phillips told county commissioners during the meeting. “Let’s get it over with. I’m from Live Oak, and I have a pretty good feeling of what you’re going through.”
He promised that there would be no major shake ups and that business would remain the same while the search for his successor was ongoing. While Phillips was overseeing the agency, he assisted in a major drug operation in Lake City with the State Attorney’s Office and the Lake City Police Department, and terminated two deputies due to dishonesty.
One month later, on May 18, 1984, the governor appointed Lake City Police Department Assistant Chief Ray Dyal as Phillips’s successor, allowing his time in Lake City to come to a close.
However, a few months later, he was on a plane to New Port Richey. There, he assumed the role of sheriff once again when Pasco County Sheriff John Short was indicted on corruption charges. Phillips’s time in Pasco was longer than his previous visits, going nearly two months. At the end of Phillips’s time in Pasco County, he returned home for five months.
In April 1985, Phillips once again packed his suitcase. This time, he traveled to Charlotte County, where Sheriff Glenn Sapp was suspended due to an indictment for grand theft. Sapp and others had allegedly sold two small planes to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office illegally and attempted to avoid paying state taxes on a car a former Charlotte County sheriff gave him.
During a press conference, he once again expressed that he would only oversee the continuity of the office and had no plans to shake the agency up. It was a duty that Phillips stayed consistent with, and would only make moves if necessary, as was seen during his time in Columbia County. A month later, John McDougal, a law enforcement veteran and former Franciscan monk, took on the role of sheriff, allowing Phillips to return home one more time for the next decade and a half. Later, Sheriff Sapp was acquitted and returned to his post as sheriff.
Phillips retired from FDLE in 1988, taking on a new title: Executive Director of the Florida Sheriff’s Association (FSA). The role is appointed, the candidate chosen by a sitting board of directors consisting of county sheriffs. At the time of Phillips’s appointment, the war on drugs was starting to turn up, and efforts to educate the community on drugs became a focal point.
In 1989, the FSA formed the Florida Sheriffs Task Force. According to its website, the first statewide task force operation organized by the FSA was held in July 1989 to address the growing crack cocaine problem. It involved more than 1,500 law enforcement officers from various counties and resulted in 2,224 arrests.
Under Phillips, the FSA also aggressively pursued violent offender laws. In one instance, the FSA pursued “Truth in Sentencing” laws, also known as the Stop Turning Out Prisoners (STOP) Act that would see to it that inmates would serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. The law ultimately passed, and the FSA continues to monitor the implementation of the law and its success.
While at the FSA, Phillips shared his thoughts about the future of policing through columns he wrote for the organization’s “Sheriff’s Star” magazine. He was optimistic that the fight against crime was successful, and that Florida was leading by example when it came to reduction in crime.
Phillips also made significant contributions himself during his time as the FSA president. He established the first law enforcement memorial, dedicated to fallen deputies who died in the line of duty. Phillips drew inspiration from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. After acquiring the funding, the memorial wall was completed on the grounds of the FSA headquarters in Tallahassee and dedicated in 2002. Also included were three bronze statues, which represent the impact a deputy’s sacrifice has on the colleagues and loved ones of those who are lost.
Buddy was also fascinated with the history of law enforcement in Florida. He helped in publishing the first in a series of books on the history of Florida’s sheriffs, “Florida’s Sheriff’s: A History 1821-1945.” The book detailed the history of the agencies throughout the state, providing an in-depth look as part of Florida’s evolution.
Phillips ultimately decided it was time to leave public service after 46 years. On March 31, 2002, he retired from the FSA in an official capacity, but remained in a consulting role. “When I look back over my career, in many ways, time has passed by so quickly,” Buddy wrote in his final editorial for the “Sheriffs Star” in 2002. “The last 14 years of my service have been with the FSA, and it is very rewarding to have been a part of the growth of this Association and our Youth Ranches.”
For a while, it seemed as though Phillips would have an opportunity to spend more time with his family. He wanted to begin the next chapter of his life as a private citizen and do things that retired people do.
However, a situation all too familiar in Charlotte County returned to the spotlight, and along with it, Sheriff Phillips.
