Who will be the next sheriff of Osceola County? Marcos Lopez, who was first elected in 2020, is running for reelection and hopes to continue leading the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. He is being challenged by Donnie Martinez, an Osceola County businessman with no law enforcement experience who believes a “new vision” is needed for the sheriff’s department.

FOX 35 Orlando hosted a 30-minute debate between López and Martínez. You can watch the full debate in the video player above.

Who is Marcos López?

Occupation: Current Osceola County Sheriff
Party: Democratic Party
Education: Police Academy at the Osceola Technical Education Center
Campaign website: sheriffmarcoslopez.com

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida.

He joined the US Army when he was 17 and served for 22 years, according to his official biography. In the US, he served as a linguist in the US Navy and was fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. He obtained certification in explosive ordinances, counterterrorism, and supervised logistics operations.

He joined the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in 2003, where he worked in several divisions, including communications and patrol, criminal investigations, and on the Community Response Team. He graduated from the Osceola Technical Education Center Police Academy. He was sworn in as sheriff in 2021, becoming the first Hispanic sheriff in the county and state of Florida, his biological states.

He started the Real Time Crime Center and added specialized units to OCSO, including the Tactical Anti-Crime Unit, the Osceola County Narcotics Bureau and a fugitive extradition program with Puerto Rico, according to his biography. She also launched Woman on Watch, an all-female police academy and anti-bullying initiatives.

As sheriff, Lopez has been part of a couple of investigations. An Osceola County grand jury recommended the sheriff’s office change the way it handles vehicle takedowns following fatal officer-involved shooting outside a Target in Kissimmee in 2022. Earlier this year, questions were raised after a “research photography” of where Madeline Soto’s body was found was mistakenly posted on the sheriff’s personal social media account.

Who is Donnie Martinez?

Occupation: Businessman
Party: republican party
Education: Law Enforcement Academy Program at Eastern Florida State College
Campaign website: martinez4sheriff.com

Donnie Martinez is an Osceola County businessman. He was born and raised in Osceola County and attended Osceola County schools, according to his biography.

He worked at Winn-Dixie as a teenager and was promoted to manager, according to his biography. He has owned several businesses, including a pool, lawn care, real estate, and property management company. He has not worked in law enforcement before, but attended Eastern Florida State College’s law enforcement academy to learn the latest training for police officers, according to his bio.

He believes it’s time for “new leadership and a new vision” for OCSO, focused on intelligence-driven, community-based policing. He wants to see more investments in tools, technology and training.