Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco’s chief of staff, who was already interim sheriff after a judge’s appointment on Monday, to complete the last two years of Nocco’s term.
The sheriff’s office announced the DeSantis appointment about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. DeSantis’ office as of Thursday morning had not issued a news release, as it typically does when the governor makes an appointment.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday that Nocco filed a petition Monday asking the chief judge for Pinellas and Pasco counties to appoint Harrington as interim sheriff because DeSantis had not yet made an appointment.
DeSantis had known for months that Nocco’s resignation would take effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday — Nocco sent the governor a letter in May stating that he was stepping down to run for a state Senate seat. (Nocco on Tuesday handily won the special election for the District 21 seat.)
Under the Florida Constitution, the governor holds the primary executive appointment authority to fill vacancies in state, district and county offices, including the sheriff.
But by 9 p.m. Monday, the governor’s office still had not made an announcement. So, with three hours to spare, Judge Shawn Crane issued an order appointing Harrington as interim replacement until DeSantis made an appointment, records show.
In his order, Crane cited Florida law that states a judge may appoint an interim replacement in cases where the sheriff “fails to attend, either in person or by deputy, the circuit court or the county court ... either by sickness, death or other cause.” The interim sheriff assumes all the duties and responsibilities and receives the same compensation as if they had been duly appointed “for only the term of nonattendance and no longer.”
It’s unclear why DeSantis waited to make the appointment. His office did not respond to questions from the Times on Tuesday. A spokesperson responding to a follow-up email Thursday did not address the question and said she was directing a Times reporter’s query to its public records unit.
In Florida, deputy sheriffs are officially sworn in under the authority of the specific sheriff to whom they report, so they must sign a new oath when a new sheriff takes office. That means if there had been an official lapse between Nocco’s resignation and the interim sheriff being appointed, deputies would not have legal authority during that time to carry out their duties.
Harrington has worked in law enforcement for about 30 years. He first joined the sheriff’s office in 1991 as one of the first detention deputies at the new Land O’ Lakes jail. He accepted a position the following year with the New Port Richey Police Department and had a short stint with the Clearwater Police Department before returning to the New Port Richey department. He spent 18 years there and was named police chief in 2010.
Harrington returned to the sheriff’s office in 2011, the same year Nocco was appointed sheriff by then-Gov. Rick Scott to finish retiring Sheriff Bob White’s term. Nocco was elected to his first four-year term in 2012 and has since been reelected three times, most recently in 2024.
Harrington had served as Nocco’s chief deputy for about a decade when he retired in June 2024, then worked as a private consultant. Harrington returned as a contractor for Pasco’s Emergency Management division in May 2025, and Nocco tapped him as chief of staff on Sept. 23, 2026.
Nocco, who did not respond to a message from the Times on Tuesday, posted a statement on social media Wednesday about DeSantis’ appointment. Nocco called Harrington “a man of the highest honor, integrity and character” who has a “deep compassion” for the employees of the sheriff’s office.
“Through some of the most challenging and difficult times our community has ever faced, Sheriff Harrington stood shoulder to shoulder with me as our agency worked tirelessly to protect the people of Pasco County,” Nocco said.
“The best days for Pasco County and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office are still ahead,” Nocco said. “That confidence comes from the extraordinary men and women who serve this agency and from knowing that my friend, Sheriff Harrington, is the right person to lead them.”
