Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly honored fallen deputies and law enforcement officers with Flagler County ties during a ceremony May 14 in Bunnell.
The ceremony took place ahead of National Peace Officer’s Memorial Day on May 15 during National Police Week.
An honor guard, the playing of the “Thin Blue Line” and “Amazing Grace,” stood outside the sheriff’s office headquarters, and a large “thin blue line” American flag flew suspended from a pair of large tow trucks near the entrance to the operations center.
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly speaks about shared bond and sacrifice
Staly spoke about courage and sacrifice as he addressed the crowd of current and former law enforcement members and their families as the sun set.
“The weight of the badge is not easy,” Staly said. “Every day, those who wear it do so in service to others understanding the risk they take.“
Staly also recognized family members of fallen officers, as he said “the loved ones who walked alongside these fallen heroes and continue to bear the burden of their sacrifices.”
Staly said Florida ranked third in the nation in 2025 with law enforcement deaths. He said so far this year, Florida reported two law enforcement deaths along with Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Massachusetts. Puerto Rico also has two.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee reported three law enforcement deaths, while Texas reported four.
“Those who serve are bonded by a shared sense of duty and we feel every loss as if it were one of our own,” Staly said.
Flagler Sheriff signs and sends cards to family of fallen, agency
Every time a law enforcement officer dies in the line of duty, Staly sends a card to the agency and to the fallen officer’s family.
He said he signed 230 cards for 115 law enforcement officers including 11 in Florida last year.
“And already in 2026, I’ve signed 40 cards for fallen heroes across the country, two of them were killed in Florida,” Staly said.
“In sending these cards, it is my hope that their colleagues and loved ones know they are not alone and have a community of support that stands with them forever and stretches across this great country,” he said.
The service then recognized the fallen law enforcement officers from Flagler County and those with Flagler County ties.
Staly and family members placed a rose on a wreath in the form of a star in honor of the fallen. Afterward, those in attendance held up an electric blue candle.
Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon also attended the service.
“It’s important every year that we come together to remember the fallen heroes who made the ulitmate sacrifice in service to the community,” Brannon said after the service. “And it’s also an opportunity to recognize the folks that are still continuing to serve and who put their lives on the line for the safety of everyone in Flagler County.”
Joyce Durrance Wallace, 94, is related to George Durrance, a deputy who was shot and killed in 1927, and is also a distant relative of Sheriff Homer Brooks, who died of a heart attack in his patrol car. She said her father’s family, the Durrances, go back to the 1890 census in Espanola before Flagler County was incorporated in 1917.
She said the memorial service was well done.
“I think it’s first class. It’s so fitting, so perfect for what happened and in a very proper way,” she said of the ceremony.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley, from the bureau’s Jacksonville office, also attended. He said the Jacksonville office had its own memorial service that morning and added it was important to attend other agency’s memorial services and support fellow law enforcement officers.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Memorial Service honors the fallen
Following are the names and dates of death of the six Flagler County Sheriff’s Office members who were honored at the ceremony:
Sheriff Perry Hall, Aug. 21, 1927; Deputy George “Son” Durrance, Aug. 24, 1927; Sheriff Homer Brooks, March 23, 1965; Deputy Charles “Chuck” Sease, July 5, 2003; Sgt. Francesco “Frankie” Celico, Sept. 9, 2011; Deputy 1st Class Paul Luciano, Aug. 26, 2021.
Also recognized during the service were Bunnell Police Sgt. Dominic Guida, Nov. 9, 2021; Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Darryl Haywood Sr., Oct. 2, 2004; and FBI Agent Daniel Alfin, Feb. 2, 2021. Alfin was the son of former Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office also honored K-9 Kyro, a German shepherd who died in the line of duty Oct. 14, 2025.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office honors fallen deputies, families
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
