https://floridapolitics.com/archives/314832-sheriff-gets-robbed-why-grady-judd-should-have-made-floridas-top-politicians-of-the-decade

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and I have sparred for years over issues of transparency, crossing the line in labeling innocent men “sex offenders” and his aggressive practices seizing property from private citizens.

Those videos were seen hundreds of thousands of times — and the controversial sheriff still got more than 95% of the vote when he ran for reelection in 2016.

In fact, Judd is so popular in Polk County, he hasn’t had an opponent on the ballot in 15 years!

But don’t mistake the tough-talkin’, camera-lovin’, bombastic Judd for just another lawman — he’s as shrewd of a politician as they come, tapping into rural America’s distaste for political correctness long before Donald Trump capitalized on it.

When Judd says he’s going to speak, assignment managers all across West/Central Florida stop the presses and race their crews to hear what the sheriff will say from his headquarters in Winter Haven, even though it’s about as remote as you can get from the newsrooms of Tampa and Orlando; you just know Judd will give you a sound bite (or six) worthy of leading a newscast.

I mean, half the state knows why Polk Co. deputies shot a fleeing suspect 68 times (they ran out of bullets).

Judd isn’t just one of the most recognizable politicians in Florida; with countless TV specials and his addiction to the Dateline-style undercover sex stings, he turned himself into the most recognizable sitting sheriff in America.

You want a politician with impact?

As president of the Florida Sheriffs Association in 2013 and 2014, Judd helped steer legislative priorities, a duty he continued even after leaving the statewide post. He’s also the current president of the Major County Sheriffs of America and plays a prominent role on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas State Commission.

Judd may not spend as much time in Tallahassee as some of Florida Politics’ other top politicians, but his popularity, impact, and ability to influence his community certainly rivals that of any Mayor on the list.

And with no opponent on the horizon for his 2020 reelection campaign, Judd is already building his resume for Florida Politics’ list of the top politicians for the next decade.