SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Sheriff Dennis Lemma is running for reelection, focusing on ensuring that Seminole County remains a safe place to live. His three top priorities include ensuring the safety of the citizens and visitors of Seminole County; leading the battle in combating the opioid and fentanyl crisis through enforcement and collaborative strategies; and upholding a foundational commitment to Community Policing. He is a veteran of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and prior to becoming Sheriff in 2017 held virtually every position at the agency. His wife, Diana, is also a career law enforcement officer and together, they have two teenage sons.
Service
In February 2022, Sheriff Lemma was sworn in as the President of the Major County Sheriffs of America, a two-year term that he completed in February 2024, when he became the Immediate Past President. The Major County Sheriffs of America is a professional law enforcement association of the largest elected sheriffs’ offices dedicated to preserving the highest integrity in law enforcement. Additionally, Sheriff Lemma was appointed to serve as Secretary on the Board for the Florida Sheriffs Association, and will ascend to the role of Association President in July 2025. Sheriff Lemma serves on the board of directors for many non-profits that align with his personal and professional interests. In February 2021, Sheriff Lemma joined the Victoria’s Voice Foundation as a Board Member. Founded by David and Jackie Siegel of Westgate Reports, the foundation’s mission is to bring awareness and prevention of substance abuse, especially amongst teenagers, and was founded in memory of their daughter, Victoria, who died from a drug-related overdose. He is a founding board member of Project Opioid, an Orlando-based non-profit with multiple branches in Florida and now in California. He is also a board member directly, or through alternatives, of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida Seminole County Branches, Camaraderie Foundation, as well as Chairman of the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (CFIX).
Education
He holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College, a Masters’ Degree in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He also attended the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Chief Executive Institute in Tallahassee, Florida.
Career
Sheriff Lemma began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1992 as a Correctional Officer and was selected as a Deputy Sheriff four years later. He served as a School Resource Deputy and a Crimes Against Children Investigator before receiving a promotion to Sergeant of the Special Operations Section in 2002. Four years later, he was promoted to Lieutenant in the Community Services Division where he managed the agency’s crime prevention efforts, served as the Public Information Officer, and coordinated programs to assist the elderly and domestic violence victims.
Leadership
In 2008, Sheriff Lemma was promoted to Captain and tasked with management of the uniformed patrol division, property crime investigations, traffic safety and code enforcement. In 2011, he was appointed to Major of the Department of Neighborhood Policing. In this role, he oversaw the operation of five divisions including uniformed patrol, Special Operations, Juvenile Enforcement and Intervention, Public Affairs and Community Services. In 2014, he was appointed to Chief Deputy where he led operational and administrative functions for more than, at the time, 1,200 members of the Sheriff’s Office.
MEET YOUR SHERIFF
In 2017, Dennis Lemma was elected Seminole County’s 10th Sheriff and was re-elected for his second term in 2020. As the County’s chief law enforcement officer, Sheriff Lemma leads a work force of more than 1,400 employees and manages a $180 million dollar budget. Sheriff Lemma has served at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office since 1992 and is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS
We are counting on your vote.
Experience
Commitment
Excellence
STAY INFORMED
Vote in person or by mail.
You can vote in person or by mail.
Honor
Integrity
Service
SHERIFF LEMMA
Sheriff Dennis Lemma serves as the 10th elected Sheriff of Seminole County, an office he has held since 2017.
Join the Team
Seminole County has historically low crime rates while the county’s population continues to grow. Together, we can work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community remains top of mind. Join us to re-elect OUR Sheriff, Dennis Lemma.
Experience. Commitment. Excellence.
Mailing Address
P.O. BOX 621873 , Oviedo, FL 32762
Call us.
(407) 753-4417
Email us.
info@reelectsherifflemma.com