Sheriff’s Maj. Eric Flowers is a lucky guy. Very lucky.
No candidate in any of the local races to be decided next Tuesday has benefited more than Flowers from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has given a “Twilight Zone” feel to what is a pivotal election in our community.
With the live debates and in-person campaigning of a normal election largely quashed by restrictions on public gatherings and concerns for public health, Flowers – the most well-known candidate for sheriff – has had a built-in advantage.
Since the day he announced his candidacy in March 2019 – with a full-throated endorsement from Sheriff Deryl Loar, the man he hopes to succeed – the race has been his to lose. And he has done nothing to lose it.
The men vying against Flowers – Indian River Shores Public Safety Director Rich Rosell, Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry and retired Sheriff’s Capt. Chuck Kirby – are not unknowns. All are serious, viable contenders to lead the Sheriff’s Office.
But they are not as well-known as Flowers.
Touchberry and Rosell head their agencies, which occasionally puts them in the limelight, but neither gets the same countywide public exposure and recognition as Flowers. Kirby, meanwhile, has no such pulpit and has relied heavily on social media to get his message out to the community.
Fair or not, Flowers is considered the de facto incumbent in the race. He was hand-picked and groomed by Loar to be our next sheriff. He is a member of Loar’s command staff and as the Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, he is the public face of the agency.
Under normal circumstances, Flowers would’ve been forced to either defend the Sheriff’s Office’s policies and conduct under Loar or explain what he would’ve done differently, even if it meant criticizing his boss.
Other than a couple of pre-pandemic candidate forums, however, COVID-19 prevented Touchberry, Rosell and Kirby from publicly engaging Flowers in anything resembling a debate.
Much to the dismay of his three Republican rivals – who hoped to wobble the presumed frontrunner by tagging him with what they believe is Loar’s flawed administration – Flowers has emerged from this unprecedented campaign relatively unscathed.
And he has plenty of money to spend in the final days, if needed: Bolstered by Loar’s early endorsement and the support of many Republican leaders in the county, Flowers’ campaign raised more than $185,000, despite economic concerns over the pandemic.
That’s $60,000 more than the combined amount raised by the campaigns of the other three candidates.
Finally, any doubts about the charmed nature of Flowers’ campaign should have disappeared when No Party Affiliation candidate Deborah Cooney jumped into the race in May and closed the primary to nearly 65,000 Democrats and voters with no party affiliation. Whichever Republican candidate for sheriff wins next week’s primary will face Cooney in the Nov. 3 general election, which she has no believable chance to win.
Cooney’s entry into the race meant only the county’s 56,000 Republicans – along with the nearly 900 Democrats and NPA candidates who temporarily changed parties to participate in this primary – will pick our next sheriff.
That, too, appears to benefit Flowers, who enjoys strong backing from the local Republican establishment.
A countywide election in which all voters could cast ballots would’ve attracted a more diverse electorate and brought in more than twice as many voters, including Democrats who might have voted against the Republican favorite and others who’ve had bad experiences with the Sheriff’s Office in the past 12 years.
“The community has been very vocal about the need for change, the need for significant improvement,” Touchberry said.
Rosell said he has heard similar sentiment.
“He has been weakened over the past year,” Rosell said. “I don’t think he’s as far out in front as he was a year ago.”
But a win next Tuesday will surprise no one.
Flowers has been very lucky.