Administration
Colonel Mike Brown is a veteran law enforcement officer and currently serves as the Undersheriff at the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. He has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida, a master’s degree in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Saint Leo University, and has obtained well over 1,200 hours of specialized law enforcement training.
Throughout his career, Colonel Brown has proven to be an industry leader at the local and state level. In 1993, Colonel Brown began his career as a law enforcement officer at the HCSO. In the trenches, he served in patrol, investigations, juvenile, and crime prevention operations. He is highly decorated, including being awarded Deputy Sheriff of the Year in 1998. He rose through the ranks at the HCSO supervising virtually every facet of the organization.
Additionally, Colonel Brown worked at the State Attorney’s Office for the Tenth Judicial Circuit for eight years, leaving as the Assistant Chief of Investigations. He conducted some of the most sensitive and high-profile cases for State Attorney Jerry Hill during his tenure. His M.B.A. has also served him well in the private sector, operating his own company for 15 years as a real estate developer, consultant, and contractor.
Sheriff Paul Blackman recruited Mike Brown home from the State Attorney’s Office in 2017. Colonel Brown serves as the Undersheriff and is responsible for all operations at the HCSO to include the administration, law enforcement, and detention bureaus. He directly supervises the Special Operations Division in addition to his other responsibilities.
Administration consists of divisions and units that provide support services to all certified law enforcement and detention members and is responsible for all business and technological related functions of the organization.
The Sheriff's Office is a business that employs nearly 350 people and is responsible for each member's hiring, benefits, payroll, equipment needs, and systems management. Through various units within Administration, we are responsible for planning, organizing, and leading the formulation and administration of the annual budget and planning as well as research, acquisition and tracking of state, federal, and other revenue sources. We also maintain all data management systems and agency records, and perform all general service functions for acquisition of all agency owned equipment, supplies, technology, and property for law enforcement and detention.
Administration coordinates the development of long- and short-term goals of the agency and maintains liaison with other criminal justice organizations to coordinate external data collection. Administration prepares reports and summaries detailing findings and recommendations for various projects based on systematic analysis and comparison of needs, cost, and benefit to the agency, manages the annual capital and infrastructure projects and is responsible for assuring that all agency business is conducted in compliance with legislative, regulatory, judicial mandates, regulations, and professional standards.