There's a new sheriff in town. Monday, long-time Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott swore in his replacement, Carmine Marceno, as the county's top cop. Scott retired just two years into his latest four-year term, after fourteen years as sheriff.
Marceno, who was previously Scott's undersheriff, has been the face of the Lee County Sheriff's Office for the past couple of years. Scott had backed away from the public eye to deal with health issues in his family.
"He and I have had some very candid conversations," Scott said at the swearing-in ceremony at McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers. "There are drawbacks to this position, but the pros outweigh the cons."
After Mike Scott announced his plans to retire in order to devote more attention to caring for ailing loved ones, Governor Rick Scott appointed Marceno as the new sheriff for the remainder of Mike Scott's term - over others who expressed interest in the job.
"I want to thank Sheriff Scott for his hard work here, and for grooming somebody as good as Carmine," the governor said at the ceremony.
After Marceno was sworn in by Mike Scott - in front of a large audience, including many deputies and members of the public - he made the people of Lee County a promise.
"To use this opportunity to make this the greatest and safest county there is," he said.
Marceno said one of his first orders of business is to fill several positions at the sheriff's office, including the one he just vacated. He hopes to name his new second-in-command within the week.
