David M. Smith will be sworn in as Fort Pierce’s new police chief on Feb. 2 after his after his contract was unanimously approved on Monday by the City Commission.
“That’s the date that Fort Pierce turns 125,” said Mayor Linda Hudson. “Happy Birthday, Fort Pierce.”
The contract was approved with an initial term of three years and a $190,000 annual salary. The contract provisions are budgeted within the 2026 budget.
Smith will be provided with a “take-home” vehicle, allocated 80 hours of vacation and 40 hours of sick leave at the time of his hire date.
“This is a good day,” said Human Resources Manager Jared S. Sorensen, who explained at the meeting that when Smith talked to other chiefs, they told him how important the allocated hours could be, just in case they were needed especially since his family will not be arriving immediately.
Sorensen confirmed that Smith did not have plans to take time off.
“We want his family to be happy and for him to be happy,” Hudson said.
There seemed to be positive energy at the meeting as commissioners had nothing but good things to say about the decision and the work of city staff involved in the process.
City Manager Richard Chess commended members of the Fort Pierce Police Department for their flexibility with changes that were needed over the past months. “There was a shift in the organization that was well managed,” Chess said.
Acting Chief Robert Ridle also received a great deal of praise. Commissioners were pleased that he would be part of the department for the next year and that the new chief would have the benefit of his institutional knowledge.
“He’s done a fantastic job down there. He’s just been very, very humble. I appreciate him from an HR perspective,” Sorensen said.
“The team did an outstanding job,” said Commissioner Michael Broderick who complimented the staff and everybody involved. “I couldn’t be more happy. I’m very proud of the city.”
“I just personally want to thank Chief Ridle,” said Commissioner Arnold Gaines. “Chief Ridle stood and kept the police department together and protected the residents of Fort Pierce.”
“I think this is a lesson for us,” said Commissioner Curtis Johnson Jr., explaining that the community involvement was important in the process. “City Hall did a fantastic job in moving this forward.”
Smith comes to Fort Pierce from the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia, where he started 22 years ago as a police officer. He has had a number of leadership positions, and holds advanced degrees in executive leadership and criminal justice education.
Ridle was named acting chief of the Fort Pierce Police Department in May of last year after a shakeup led Chief of Police Diane Hobley-Burney to submit her letter of resignation.
But the process was not without controversy. Community members and commissioners were not happy when they learned that three local candidates were overlooked and not scheduled to be part of the final interviews. Many came out to speak out against the decision.
S. Renée Narloch and Associates of Tallahassee was the executive recruitment firm hired to do the nationwide search. The process began with 57 candidates from around the nation who were carefully evaluated. The number was later whittled down to seven, including two internal candidates.
One of the internal candidates was endorsed by the Fort Pierce Police Officers’ Union along with the Sergeant and Lieutenants’ Union. But after the final candidates were named and the local candidates eliminated, the union did endorse Smith.