Hoffman wins Sarasota County Sheriff primary

Col. Kurt Hoffman was elected Sarasota County Sheriff with 67,377 votes — nearly three quarters of the vote total — during Tuesday's primary election.

Paul Fern received 25,316 votes. 

Hoffman has a nearly30-year law enforcement career, starting as a deputy with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and an assistant state attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit. He has worked the last 14 years with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office where he held the ranks of general counsel, captain, major and colonel. 

He has been the second-in-command under current Sheriff Tom Knight. Hoffman grew up in Englewood and graduated from Lemon Bay High School. 

As sheriff, Hoffman hopes to address emerging crime trends, implement innovative crime-prevention strategies and increase jail diversion programs. He also said he'd like to work to address systemic racism and implicit bias in the department and the office's hiring process. 

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.​