2003 - 2005

Republican

William F. Cameron began his law enforcement career at the Fort Myers Police Department in 1982 where he worked on road patrol, in narcotics and as a training officer. In 1987, he joined the Lee County Sheriff's Office. While there he worked his way up to the rank of captain. He also continued his education. He earned his master's degree in Business Administration from IMPAC University in Punta Gorda. He also attended the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky.

When Sheriff William Clement was arrested and suspended from office in late 2003, Governor Jeb Bush selected Cameron as the man he would appoint as Sheriff in Charlotte County.

One of the first things Sheriff Cameron did was to begin a dialogue with the Charlotte County Commissioners and the Budget Director. As a result, for the first time in many years, when the time came to discuss the Sheriff's Office's budget, there were no newspaper articles referring to "budget battles."

Even though Charlotte County had seen other people appointed to fulfill the terms for sheriffs who had been removed from office, Sheriff Cameron's term of office was unique for one memorable but terrifying reason - Hurricane Charley literally blew through the Sheriff's Office on August 13, 2004, ripping one-third of the roof from the administration building, starting in the corner with Sheriff Cameron's office. Sheriff Cameron was among 13 people who weathered the category four hurricane in an elecrtical closet.

When the group emerged afterward, Sheriff Cameron found much of Charlotte County as devastated as his own office. Help began arriving from outside agencies within hours. Over the following days, weeks and months, Sheriff Cameron lead the Sheriff's Office through the process of recovery.

John Davenport was elected Sheriff in November 2004. When he took office in January 2005, he kept Cameron on as his Chief Deputy