AN ‘HONEST-TO-GOODNESS
Law enforcement agencies
throughout Tampa Bay and
as far away as Tallahassee
are paying tribute to a man
GOOD GUY’
who gave his best to our community
for nearly 40 years as a law
enforcement officer in Hillsborough
County. David Gee concluded his
crime-fighting career of more than
40 years this fall after serving as the
Hillsborough County Sheriff for the
last 13 years.
He performed so well that often
he was re-elected with no opposition. He worked under Sheriff
Cal Henderson, who helped to prepare him for the job by
naming him his chief deputy. Gee worked his way up through
the department and had experience running every major division
of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Since he had a pilot’s
license, he occasionally flew the sheriff’s helicopter on patrol.
Before he took over as sheriff in 2004, David Gee was also
the chief financial officer and chief spokesman for the sheriff’s
office, where he learned how the news media work. He often
chose not to speak to the media unless he felt an obligation to
do so, as a result of the public’s need to know. Often, he passed
that responsibility on to others in his office. He was not one to
indulge in self-aggrandizement and more often than not, chose
to remain in the background and allow others to bask in the
spotlight. As a result, he became one of the most well-liked and
respected sheriffs in Florida’s 67 counties.
During his tenure, David Gee faced all types of crises from the
tragic deaths of deputies who were killed on the job to unsettled
budgets and county jail issues. He was responsible for providing
security, along with the Tampa Police Department, when Tampa
Bay hosted the Republican National Convention.
As an investigator, one of his most important cases involved
the serial killer Bobby Joe Long, who murdered nine women and
raped 10. Due to Gee’s efforts, Long was convicted and sentenced
to Death Row. Gee worked homicide cases such as this at night
while attending the University of Tampa, where he earned a
degree in mathematics. He retired in September to spend more
time with his family, his wife Rhonda and their four children.
144 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
Gee has left the legacy of a
declining crime rate in Hillsborough
County and a stabilized budget for
the sheriff’s office. Approximately
4,000 deputies, detention personnel
and civilians continue to carry on
the sheriff’s work. David’s job was
personal to him, as he considered
those who worked with him and
for him to be his “other family.”
State Attorney General Pam
Bondi commended him for his
extraordinary service, and former
U.S. Attorney Bobby O’Neill said that David Gee will be
remembered not only as a “good cop, but an honest-to-goodness
good guy and the voice of reason behind the scenes.”
Former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor added that Gee “fully
understood that citizens had to be part of law enforcement for his
organization to work and be successful, and David Gee did that
very well.” Likewise, sheriffs in neighboring counties praised
him for fostering cooperation across our county boundaries.
In September, just before his retirement, Gee, 58, was honored
with the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Tampa Bay
Area Chiefs of Police Association and Foundation, which includes
all law enforcement, federal, state and local authorities in the
Tampa Bay area. This was
added to the many other
civic and professional awards
he received over the years,
including being named
Sheriff of the Year. David Gee
is one of the good guys. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson,
who retired from Fox TV in
2014, worked more than 50
years in radio and television
news broadcasting.
COMMAERNTTARY
John Wilson
By John Wilson
Retiring Sheriff David Gee also is a pilot.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE