Governor DeSantis Appoints Jeff Harrington as Pasco County Sheriff

Veteran law enforcement leader, former New Port Richey police chief and educator brings decades of local experience to the county’s top law enforcement position.

PASCO COUNTY, Fla., Nov. 4, 2026 — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Jeff Harrington as Pasco County sheriff Wednesday evening, placing an experienced local law enforcement leader at the helm of the agency following the departure of former Sheriff Chris Nocco.

Harrington will serve the remainder of the term vacated by Nocco, providing continuity for an agency where he has held senior leadership positions and helped oversee public safety operations across Pasco County.

In a statement announcing the appointment, Nocco praised Harrington’s character and their long professional partnership. “His leadership, dedication, and commitment were instrumental to our success,” Nocco said, reflecting on their work together during challenging periods for the county.

The appointment marks a new chapter in a career that has taken Harrington from corrections and neighborhood patrol to police chief, sheriff’s office command staff and university leadership.

His connection to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office stretches back to 1991, when he served as one of the first correctional deputies at the then-new Land O’ Lakes jail. He joined the New Port Richey Police Department the following year, beginning a lengthy period of service that included assignments as a patrol officer, detective and lieutenant.

Over approximately 18 years with the city’s police department, interrupted by a brief period with Clearwater police, Harrington advanced through the ranks. He became New Port Richey’s police chief in 2010 after serving as interim chief.

In October 2011, Harrington returned to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office as a major overseeing the Patrol Operations Bureau. His responsibilities placed him in charge of the deputies providing frontline law enforcement services throughout the county.

He was promoted to colonel in July 2013, becoming the agency’s second-in-command. His subsequent leadership service included the roles of chief deputy and chief of staff, giving him extensive familiarity with the organization he now leads.

Harrington’s professional background also includes substantial academic achievement. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Norwich University and a doctorate in leadership from Capella University.

His advanced professional training includes the FBI’s Federal Executive Development Seminar and National Executive Institute. His operational experience spans corrections, patrol, traffic homicide investigations, detective work, supervision and command.

Harrington has also helped educate future leaders. In January 2024, Norwich University named him co-director of its Center for Leadership and a professor of practice in its School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He has taught undergraduate and graduate students in Florida and served on the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute’s policy board through an appointment by the state’s commissioner of education.

His public service extends to Pasco-Hernando State College. Harrington first joined its District Board of Trustees in 2017, serving until May 2024. He returned to the board in 2025 and was reappointed by DeSantis in May 2026, continuing his involvement in an institution serving students and employers throughout Pasco and Hernando counties.

Before Wednesday evening’s gubernatorial appointment, Harrington had assumed the sheriff’s responsibilities on an interim basis following an appointment by Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Shawn Crane. That transition took effect Nov. 3 after Nocco’s resignation.

For Pasco County residents, Harrington brings to his new position a combination of local knowledge, executive experience and advanced education. His career has connected him to the county’s neighborhoods, municipal police services, sheriff’s office and educational institutions—experience he now carries into his service as sheriff.