1967 - 1977

Republican

Governor Claude Kirk, a Republican, appointed Jack Bent, a fellow Republican, to complete Sheriff Richard Stickley's term of office as Sheriff in 1967. Bent was living in Sarasota at the time. But he was familiar with Charlotte County, having served as a state forestry arson investigator, highway patrolman, and Lee County deputy.

During Sheriff Bent's 10 years in office, the county population grew from about 20,000 to about 80,000. The number of Sheriff's Office employees also grew, from 18 to 114.

Sheriff Bent was defeated in the 1976 election by Alan L. LeBeau, one of his deputies. Bent attributed his defeat to the public's mood in favor of change -- any change.