CLEARWATER, Fla. — A sheriff in a west-central Florida county has tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities said.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri tested positive late Friday afternoon, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
According to the sheriff’s office, Gualtieri, 58, is experiencing “mild” COVID-19 symptoms and has lost his sense of smell and taste, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
BREAKING: Pinellas County’s top law enforcement official has the coronavirus. https://t.co/FKgEE3L4ZE
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) August 15, 2020
Gualtieri is the latest sheriff to test positive for the coronavirus. According to BayNews 9, other top county law enforcement officials to test positive include Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz, and St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara.
Gualtieri does not have a fever or respiratory issues, according to the Times.
In a text message to the newspaper, Gualtieri said he was “Doing fine. Thanks.”
Gualtieri will follow Florida Department of Health guidelines and remain isolated at home for 10 days, the sheriff’s office said. He will work remotely from home, the Times reported.
Gualtieri began his law enforcement career as a detention deputy working in the Pinellas County jail in 1982, according to the sheriff’s office website. Gualtieri also worked for the Dunedin Police Department and rejoined the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office as a law enforcement deputy.
He was appointed Pinellas County’s sheriff in 2011, and was reelected in 2012 and 2016.
Cox Media Group
