Monroe County State’s Attorney Dennis Ward joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the county.
Crime has been dropping in the county. It’s primarly thanks to strong partnerships among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, along with aggressive prosecution policies that have sent a clear message to would-be offenders: commit crimes in the Florida Keys and expect serious consequences.
Ward said, “Crime is down again, and it’s down considerably. “Not that we don’t have crime, but it’s been reduced dramatically, and it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of collaboration.”
Maintaining strong relationships with law enforcement is essential to successful prosecutions, and officers want to know their arrests lead to accountability.
“We have a great relationship with all of the law enforcement officers out here,” Ward said.
A former Marathon pastor was sentenced recently to six years in state prison followed by 10 years of sex offender probation after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the sexual battery of a minor. Ward said investigators conducted an extensive investigation after the victim disclosed the abuse to her grandmother, eventually locating the defendant after he fled following his arrest.
“He has to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life,” Ward said. “He’s going to get what he deserves.”
There have also been recent drug trafficking cases, including a defendant sentenced to 364 days in jail and four years of drug offender probation for cocaine and methamphetamine offenses.
“Sale means jail,” Ward said, reiterating the office’s long-standing policy toward narcotics trafficking. He added that violations of the strict probation terms often result in prison sentences.
The sentencing of a man convicted in the 2024 robbery of the Keys Federal Credit Union on Stock Island also happened recently. The defendant received two years in the Florida Department of Corrections followed by three years of probation, with mental health treatment included as part of his probationary conditions.
Environmental crimes remain another enforcement priority.
Ward said his office continues to aggressively prosecute violations involving undersized stone crabs, illegal harvesting and derelict vessels, which he said place financial burdens on taxpayers and damage the Keys’ natural resources.
Prosecutors routinely seek jail sentences of up to 180 days in derelict vessel cases unless owners remove or repair their boats.
“It makes a difference when you tell them 180 days jail,” Ward said. “Somehow they come up with the money. Somehow the boat gets repaired, and it saves taxpayers in the state of Florida so much money.”
Ward also addressed commercial fishing equipment thefts, saying defendants recently convicted in a series of marina thefts received probation, restitution, community service and financial penalties. He urged boat owners not to leave expensive gear unattended.
Another recent case involved a worker who took his employer’s boat without permission, triggering an extensive multi-agency search involving the U.S. Coast Guard before being found on Florida’s Gulf Coast after running out of fuel. Ward criticized the boat owner’s decision not to pursue criminal charges and said taxpayers should not bear the cost of the expensive search effort.
Ward also emphasized that businesses collecting sales tax must remit those funds to the state. He cited a recent prosecution in which a business owner who failed to turn over nearly $300,000 in collected sales tax repaid more than $400,000 but still received 30 months of probation.
Monroe County was among the first judicial circuits in Florida to pursue murder charges against drug dealers whose fentanyl sales resulted in fatal overdoses, and it looks like those prosecutions have helped reduce fentanyl trafficking.
“We were one of the first circuits in the state to pursue murder charges in these overdose deaths, and we’ve been very successful,” Ward said.
Prosecutors are also seeking significant jail or prison sentences in fleeing and eluding cases, particularly high-speed pursuits along U.S. 1.
“It needs to stop, and it’s going to stop,” Ward said.
There’s also been a dramatic decline in cases involving unlicensed or suspended drivers, which could be attributed in part to increased federal immigration enforcement. Ward argued that reducing the number of unlicensed motorists could eventually lower uninsured motorist claims, though he acknowledged insurance rates remain high.
“I’m just not going to have people come into this community and commit crime and not be responsible for what they do,” Ward said.