Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Jefferson County Commission recently honored the late Sheriff Ken Fortune, who died of natural causes at age 78 in August.
The proclamation that the commission presented to Kent Fortune on Thursday, Dec. 1, was in recognition of his father’s life and achievements.
A native of North Carolina, Fortune served in the U.S. Navy before relocating to Florida and receiving his certification as a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper in 1972, serving 10 years in this law-enforcement capacity.
In 1982, then Governor Bob Graham appointed Fortune as Jefferson County Sheriff, a position that he held until his retirement in 2004.
During his tenure, Fortune presided over the construction of the new jail building at the industrial park and successfully navigated his department through two of this county’s most high-profile cases in recent history.
First was the murder of FHP Trooper Jimmy Fulford on the interstate in 1992 and the subsequent high-profile investigation and trial and conviction of his killer in 1995.
Next came the infamous British tourist case in 1993, when four local youths fatally shot English tourist Gary Colley and wounded his longtime companion Margaret Jagger in a botched robbery at the I-10 rest stop near Madison County.
Colley was the ninth tourist killed in Florida that year, drawing national and international media attention and putting the JCSO under intense scrutiny.
Notwithstanding the unprecedented media attention and pressure for a quick arrest from the governor on down, Fortune handled the situation with grace, restraint and professionalism, resulting in his department delivering four arrests within days of the incident.
By nature genial and self-deprecating, Fortune could be steely when the circumstances warranted it.
The commission’s proclamation expressed the desire that there should be a lasting record of deep gratitude and appreciation of Fortune’s legacy of law-enforcement in Jefferson County.
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