Tiger Bay is proud to welcome Sheriff Robert A. Hardwick as our January 26th speaker! He will provide us with an update on current issues facing St. Johns County and welcomes questions.
Sheriff Hardwick was elected Sheriff in November of 2020 and officially took office on January 5, 2021. Prior to serving as Sheriff, he served as the 11th Chief of Police for the St. Augustine Beach Police Department from 2013-2020. He also served as the Assistant Chief Investigator with the Office of the State Attorney 7th Judicial Circuit from 2008-2013.
During his 29-year plus law enforcement career, Sheriff Hardwick also worked at the St. Augustine Police Department, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Corrections.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army and Florida Army National Guard, Sheriff Hardwick has participated in multiple deployments to the Middle East in support of military operations including:
- Operation Desert Storm in 1990 with the 82nd Airborne Division.
- Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004 with the 53rd Infantry Brigade supporting the 5th Special Forces Group.
His most recent assignment was in the Florida Army National Guard as a Platoon Trainer (TAC) at the Camp Blanding Regional Training Institute’s Officer Candidate School (OCS). In 2018, after 25 years of active and national guard service, Sheriff Hardwick honorably retired.
Sheriff Hardwick has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Flagler College and a Master of Arts Degree from Barry University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy-Session 247, the FBI’s Florida Executive Development Seminar-Class 16 and the FBI’s National Executive Institute-Class 44. Sheriff Hardwick is also a graduate of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Chief Executive Seminar-Session 48.
In August of 2016, Governor Rick Scott appointed Sheriff Hardwick to the Criminal Justice and Standards Training Commission (CJSTC). He currently serves on the School Advisory Board for St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School and Flagler Health Plus Care Connect Board. Sheriff Hardwick serves on the Florida Sheriff’s Association Legislative Committee, the Accreditation Advisory Committee and the Florida Model Jail Standards Working Group.
Sheriff Hardwick continues to mentor the next generation through volunteering as a local youth coach. He has been married to his wife, Kendell, for 31 years and they have two adult sons, Cole and Brett. Both are very accomplished. Cole graduated from Florida State University and law school, and he works locally. Brett is a Flagler College graduate who is a Chinook helicopter pilot in the Florida National Guard.