Meet Bill
Bill Prummell began his career with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in March of 1992. He was later put through the academy in October and hired on fulltime on December 15, 1992. He worked his way through the ranks and throughout most areas of the Agency. He was elected as Sheriff in 2012 and assumed the Office of the Sheriff on January 8, 2013. He ran for re-election in 2016 and again in 2020, winning both by an overwhelming majority.
During Sheriff Prummell's tenure, he has implemented Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP) policies and formed the Strategic Area Response teams (STAR), overseen the creation of a Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC), formed Domestic Violence and Mental Health Units, established the Integrated Response for Intervention and Support (IRIS) teams with Charlotte Behavioral Health Care and Charlotte County Fire/EMS, implemented the addiction recovery initiative, and developed an adult pre-arrest diversion program (APAD). He was recognized for his work in these fields by Charlotte Behavioral Health Center and Drug Free Charlotte County. He worked very closely with the BOCC and with the citizens to obtain funding to build all new Sheriff's Office facilities throughout the county as well as the planning and construction of a fifth district set for the Babcock Ranch development for 2024.
Sheriff Prummell holds a Bachelor of Arts from St Leo University in Criminology with a minor in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from IMPAC University, and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from American Public University. In addition, he is a graduate of the Florida Sheriff’s Institute, the 239th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Florida’s Senior Leadership Program in Tallahassee, Florida, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS), and a graduate of the National Sheriff’s Institute held in Aurora, Colorado and the Florida Sheriff's Institute in Tallahassee.
Sheriff Prummell was one of the founders of the Region Six Intelligence Exchange for SW Florida. He sits on the Board of Directors for CARE the past 15 years, is the Chair for Drug Free Charlotte County, and a member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association where he served as Chairman of the Board, Treasurer, Secretary and currently holds the position of Vice-President. Sheriff Prummell sits on their Legislative Committee where he works on various legislative issues in Tallahassee.
He was also selected by the Florida Sheriffs to Chair the Florida Sheriff’s Association Taskforce where he served for 8 years. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches serving as the Chair from 2019-2020. In 2015 he was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to serve as a commissioner on the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission where he served for 7 years until 2022. In 2021, Sheriff Prummell was selected to sit on the Federal Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board. Due to his work in mental health and substance abuse, Sheriff Prummell was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as chair for the statewide Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse to review and provide recommendations for changes and enhancements to Florida's MH/SA system of care.
Prummell was born in New York, New York in 1969 and moved to Charlotte County in 1991 with his wife and 6-month-old son. He lives in Rotonda West and is married to Tara, a kindergarten teacher. They now have three children and four grandchildren.