Former Sheriff’s Captain Milo Thornton, who resigned last summer to challenge his boss in the Aug. 20 Republican primary election, is returning to law enforcement – in a neighboring county.
St. Lucie County Sheriff-Elect Richard Del Toro announced Sunday that he had hired Thornton to fill one of his deputy chief’s positions, assigning him to the agency’s Corrections and Judicial Services Bureau.
In addition to managing the jail’s administration and operations, Thornton will oversee court security and the serving of civil documents and warrants.
He is expected to begin his duties on Jan. 7, when Del Toro is scheduled to be sworn in.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to get back into law enforcement,” Thornton said Sunday afternoon. “I’m not ready for retirement. I know I have a lot more to offer. I’m looking forward to coaching and counseling young deputies, and helping the agency any way I can.”
Thornton, 46, said he and Del Toro, a former Port St. Lucie police chief, began discussions shortly after the Aug. 20 sheriffs’ primaries in Indian River and St. Lucie counties.
While Del Toro rolled to a decisive victory over governor-appointed incumbent Keith Pearson, Thornton lost a close three-candidate race to Sheriff Eric Flowers, who was re-elected with a 36 percent plurality.
Thornton said he had known Del Toro “for a long time – more than 15 years – and we’ve had a very good working relationship, as well as a friendship.” He said the talks about joining the St. Lucie department became serious after Del Toro won the general election last month.
“He was starting to put his team together, and he asked me if I would be willing to help,” he continued. “I told him I’d be glad to help anywhere he needed me. He knew I had worked in just about every aspect of law enforcement.”
Thornton began his law enforcement career in 1998 as a St. Lucie County corrections officer. He joined the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy in November 2002, after spending four years as a Vero Beach police officer.
During his 22-year career with the Sheriff’s Office here, Thornton served in several leadership positions, including: sergeant (uniformed patrol); lieutenant (criminal investigations and forensic services); captain (uniformed patrol and special operations); major (bureau of administration); and deputy chief (corrections, judicial services, community affairs and school resource).
It was Flowers who promoted Thornton to deputy chief, making him not only the No. 3-ranked member of the agency but also a key contributor to his command staff.
As deputy chief, Thornton was the highest-ranked Black law enforcement officer in the county’s history, but his relationship with Flowers subsequently deteriorated.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Thornton, whom Flowers viewed as a potential political challenger for his office, was facing allegations of creating a hostile work environment at the jail.
Flowers then demoted Thornton to captain, reassigned him to the School Safety Division and banished him to an office at the School District Administration Building – even though an 11-week Internal Affairs Division investigation uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing.
The shabby treatment provided the impetus for Thornton to launch his campaign to unseat Flowers, and he raised more than $300,000 in contributions. He was required to sever his ties to the Sheriff’s Office in July to comply with the state’s resign-to-run law.
Flowers, however, defeated both Thornton and Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry in the primary, despite receiving only 9,667 votes. The incumbent then went on to win re-election in a landslide victory over write-in candidate Deborah Cooney.
Thornton said he has used the four months since the primary “getting recharged” after a grueling campaign.
“Elections take a toll on you, physically and mentally, so I’ve been taking it easy, getting in some golf, doing a little work with my real-estate business,” Thornton said. “I learned a lot about politics, but I haven’t really thought much about the election. I don’t dwell on the past.
“When one door closes, another door opens, and you walk through it.”
Currently the vice chairman of the Indian River State College Board of Trustees, Thornton said he considered law-enforcement opportunities in other parts of the state and nation, “but they would have required me to relocate, and I preferred to stay here.”
Del Toro, who announced the hiring in a statement posted on his campaign Facebook page, referred to Thornton as a “dynamic leader” who will “bring high energy, professionalism and accountability” to the job.
The sheriff-elect wrote that Thornton was “one of the best motivators and encouragers” he has met.
“He cares about people, and I have no doubt that he will motivate and bring out the best from our team members and family at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.”