Sheriff Don Hunter

Don hunter says he's been "blessed" to serve as sheriff of Collier County for the last 17 years. Divine intervention aside, Hunter must be doing something right. As a deputy chief, before becoming Collier's top cop, he headed up the narcotics unit and Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, and he conceived and commanded the county's SWAT team. More recently, he was appointed chairman of this region's Southwest Florida Domestic Security Task Force. The onetime workaholic says he seriously re-evaluated his schedule after the birth of his twin daughters two years ago. "You can take care of the work," he says, "but you can't fix the family relationships that suffer."

Q: You grew up in Naples.

A: I've been here since 1961; I was born in Tallahassee and moved here when I was 11.

Q: So you've witnessed much of this area's tremendous evolution.

A: When I moved here, Naples wasn't very attractive. We were overpopulated with mosquitoes, the smell was of sulfur water, and lawns were mostly sandspurs. We rode horses on the beach and drove along the beaches in four-wheel-drive vehicles throughout the '60s and into the '70s.

Q: How has the sheriff's office kept pace with the area's growth?

A: When I arrived here in 1979, it was about 150 members. Now it's 1,200 members-very dramatic growth. But I'd have to say we're still a small town; those of us who tough it out during the summer know that.

Q: Was law enforcement your career choice from the beginning?

A: I thought I was going into law. I had some local attorneys advise me against it, so I secured a master's degree [in criminology and criminal justice planning from FSU]. I had a brief stint with the state and federal government as a planner for the Department of Justice. That program went away, so I came back here. Aubrey Rogers was sheriff, and he was kind enough to offer me a position. Within about two years, he promoted me. We had three deputy chiefs, and I was one of the three. I grew to really love it.

Q: Naples residents are proud of the area's low crime rate. Do you see that continuing?

A: We've been uniquely buoyed by tourism and part-time residency; our tax base has always been solid because of home valuation; there's been an effort underway for the past 20 years to create a community that is pleasing to the eye. I don't believe Collier is going to [follow] the evolutionary syndrome of decaying neighborhoods and inner cities and crime situations that you've seen in other Florida locales.

Q: Anything at all that worries you?

A: This whole immigration issue. For us, some of the patterns have involved gang activity migrating from larger urban hubs. We have to be very careful to maintain a presence throughout the county-the urban fringe.

Q: How about traffic?

A: I see it getting much worse before it gets better, although I can't envision it getting much worse than it already is-other than maybe a parking lot.

Q: And that's bad from a safety standpoint.

A: Actually, we've reached something of a plateau in terms of crashes; we didn't see a dramatic increase last year, but what we'll end with this year is anyone's guess. But trying to modify bad habits behind the wheel has been a problem. We've written far too many tickets and spent far too much time in court [with] people who are frustrated on the roadways.

Q: I see you have a Gulfshore Life framed on the wall.

A: The magazine selected me as [2002's] Best Elected Official; Porter Goss and [former Naples mayor] Bonnie MacKenzie were second and third. I like to bring that up to Porter when I see him.