Fla. deputy fired after filing to run against sheriff in 2020 election
By: David Harris, Orlando Sentinel
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A week ago, Deputy Marco Lopez filed to run for Osceola County sheriff in 2020. The next day, after spending several hours responding to a barricaded subject as a member of the SWAT team, Lopez was fired by the man he’s running against.
Sheriff Russ Gibson, who is running for re-election, fired Lopez after he refused to resign, citing federal court rulings that say a sheriff can fire a deputy who files to run against him for lack of loyalty.
“As you can see from the three cases you were given, you don’t have a constitutional right to run against a sitting sheriff who has filed for re-election,” Gibson wrote in Lopez’s termination letter. “During our meeting [Friday] you were given an opportunity to review the case laws and understand that as sheriff I must have the confidence that you will effectively represent me as a deputy sheriff and your actions have made it abundantly clear that I cannot.”
