FDLE agent will not run for Orange County Sheriff

Danny Banks, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge, announced Wednesday he won’t run for Orange County sheriff after heavy speculation that he would be a contender.

“After several months of careful consideration, I have decided I will not file as a candidate in the 2018 special election for Orange County Sheriff,” he said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. “In order to avoid a conflict of interest, my resignation as the Special Agent in Charge of FDLE Orlando would be required in June 2018 to enter the race for this elected position. My resignation would occur 6 months shy of my 25-year anniversary of law enforcement service to Central Florida, an important milestone in the Florida Retirement System in which I am invested.”

Banks said his decision, though “tough” to make, is in the best interest of his family’s well-being and financial stability.

He was one of the first to announce a potential bid after Sheriff Jerry Demings entered the Orange County Mayor race. Orlando Police Chief John Mina and retired Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Paul “Spike” Hopkins also have expressed interest in running. No one has officially filed, said Bill Cowles, Orange County Supervisor of Elections.

Demings’ vacancy will call for a special election to be held next year. He has until June 2018 to formally tender his resignation, which would be effective Dec. 4, 2018, the day he either would be sworn in as mayor or leave office as sheriff after losing the mayor’s race.

Until he files a resignation letter, the earliest sheriff election is 2020, when Demings’ term ends.

Banks is a lifelong Orange County resident who began his career at the Sheriff’s Office, spending six years there before moving on to the FDLE, where he worked for the next 17 years.

He will continue serving as Special Agent in Charge of FDLE Orlando.