Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco today launched his campaign for the Florida Senate's 21st District, the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor.
"For fifteen years, I have worked to keep our community safe and to build strong partnerships across every part of our region," Nocco said. "I've witnessed firsthand just how impactful decisions made in Tallahassee can be for the safety, security, and prosperity of our state. As a conservative Republican, I'm ready to fight for family-focused, Florida-first ideas that help create and support new businesses, protect the natural resources that drive our economy, and strengthen our place as the most law-enforcement-friendly state in the Union."
Senate District 21 includes parts of southwest and western Pasco County and northern Pinellas County. Nocco enters the race with the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Senate President-Designate Jim Boyd, Sen. Jay Trumbull, U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Laurel Lee, and Anna Paulina Luna, retiring Sen. Ed Hooper, and the Florida Senate Campaign Committee.
Nocco was appointed Sheriff of Pasco County by then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2011 and has been re-elected without opposition in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. He is a first responder to the 9/11 attacks, the Washington, D.C. sniper incidents, and the 2001 anthrax attacks. Prior to becoming Sheriff, he served as Staff Director of the Florida House of Representatives Policy and Procedure Office and as Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.
Under Nocco's leadership, the Pasco Sheriff's Office was the first agency in the Tampa Bay area to outfit deputies with body-worn cameras. He founded F1RST — Florida's Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics — and built one of Florida's largest Behavioral Health Intervention Teams. The agency's School Resource Officer unit was named SRO Unit of the Year by the Florida Association of School Resource Officers.
Nocco and his wife, Bridget, are raising three children in Pasco County. They are active in their church and in youth sports.
For more information or to support the campaign, visit the campaign website.
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Political advertisement paid for and approved by Chris Nocco, Republican, for Florida State Senate, District 21.