Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco steps down Tuesday, Nov. 3, the same day voters decide whether to send him to the Florida Senate.

Nocco announced in May that he would resign on Election Day to run for State Senate District 21, FOX 13 reported. His departure ends a 15-year run leading the Pasco Sheriff's Office and leaves Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint a replacement. As we reported Oct. 29, the leadership change will directly affect law enforcement in Land O' Lakes, Lutz and Odessa.

No replacement has been named. It remains unclear who will fill the sheriff's role after Nocco leaves, according to FOX 13. Under Florida law, when a sheriff resigns mid-term, the governor appoints someone to lead the agency until voters choose a permanent successor at the next general election.

Nocco was elected in 2024 to a term running through 2028. Pasco voters will not get to pick their own sheriff until that 2028 election.

The Senate race

The District 21 seat opened after Republican Sen. Ed Hooper submitted his resignation to DeSantis, effective Nov. 3. Hooper cited family considerations and a desire for new leadership, Our Town Florida reported. He had represented parts of Pasco and Pinellas counties since 2018.

Nocco faces Democrat Jordan Hensley, a bartender at the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin with no prior political experience. The district's electorate is 45% Republican, 25% Democratic and 30% independent, according to FOX 13.

The fundraising gap is steep. Campaign finance records showed Nocco had raised more than $260,000, while Hensley said he had raised about $10,000, Tampa Bay 28 reported.

Hensley said he entered the race after realizing no other Democrat had stepped forward to challenge Nocco, according to Tampa Bay 28.

Nocco's background

Former Gov. Rick Scott first appointed Nocco as sheriff in 2011. Voters reelected him in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. Before becoming sheriff, Nocco served as a captain and a major at the Pasco Sheriff's Office, with prior police service in Philadelphia, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Broward County, according to FOX 13, citing his PSO biography. He also served as deputy chief of staff to then-House Speaker Marco Rubio.

During Nocco's tenure, the agency's budget more than doubled to about $174.5 million as the county grew, Tampa Bay 28 reported. Nocco has endorsements from DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and several Police Benevolent Association chapters, according to Florida Politics.

Nocco named transportation, internet crime enforcement and mental health services as his top legislative priorities. Hensley has focused on rising rent, doubling insurance rates and stagnant wages, according to FOX 13.

The Nov. 3 special election will determine who serves the remainder of Hooper's Senate term. Pasco County election information is available at pascovotes.gov.