‘Chad has fought on the frontlines of the opioid crisis,’ said Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody.
President-elect Donald Trump has picked another Floridian to serve in the new administration.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister was nominated to become the next administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) within the U.S. Department of Justice on Nov. 30.
If confirmed by the Senate, Chronister will work with the U.S. Attorney General—which will be Florida’s former Attorney General Pam Bondi, pending Senate approval—to “save lives” by stopping the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs while working to secure the border.
Here are several things to know about Trump’s latest pick.
Law Enforcement Background
Chronister graduated from the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session and earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from St. Leo University.
He first became sheriff by appointment, becoming then-governor, now-Sen. Rick Scott’s pick to replace Sheriff David Gee, who decided to retire. He was elected to his first full term in 2018 by the people of Hillsborough County, which includes the city of Tampa, and then won reelection again in 2020.
He was reelected a second time in 2024 after doubling down on a “tough-on-crime” position that also emphasized the safety and operational efficiency of his deputies.
Chronister threw his support behind the county’s newly-elected state attorney Suzy Lopez.
“Sheriff Chronister … helped ensure the election of tough-on-crime prosecutor Suzy Lopez. Hillsborough County is safer as a result,” Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said on X on Dec. 2.
“I congratulate Chad on his nomination and look forward to him taking on the drug cartels on behalf of the American people.”
Chronister has held his position through countless hurricanes, most recently including hurricanes Helene and Milton, requiring him to conduct operations with multiple levels of law enforcement and first responders like the National Guard.
Including the president-elect, Chronister was the eighth Floridian to become a part of the incoming administration and the second from the Tampa Bay Area.
Bondi is also from Tampa, and he will be working under her if they are both confirmed.
Trump’s Cabinet picks from the Sunshine State also include Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, and Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser.
Floridians chosen for other non-Cabinet appointments include former Rep. Dave Weldon as the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and James Blair as the deputy chief of staff for legislative, political, and public affairs.
Record of Fighting Drug Trafficking
Chronister’s tenure as sheriff included a focus on fighting drug and human trafficking within his jurisdiction in coordination with the DEA.
One example was Operation Checkmate, which was a three-month operation in 2023 that, according to the sheriff’s office, resulted in the arrest of 21 people and two high-ranking members of the gang Latin Kings.
Nearly $1 million worth of drugs were seized by deputies as well as other valuables acquired with “illicit cash.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also announced on Oct. 25, 2024, that a six-month investigation led to the arrest of eight people with intent to sell and traffick drugs.
According to the press release, deputies “discovered 27 pounds of cannabinoids, an AK47 rifle, several rounds of ammunition, and numerous structures on the property used for drug activity.”
Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody said on X on Nov. 30. that Chronister “has fought on the frontlines of the opioid crisis.”
“I know his leadership and decades of experience will be invaluable as we work to combat the flow of Mexican fentanyl into our county,” Moody said.
Chronister was appointed by DeSantis to serve on the Florida Statewide Drug Policy Advisory Council and serves on the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
Scrutiny Over COVID-Era Action
Some are skeptical of Chronister’s nomination because the sheriff arrested a pastor for defying COVID lockdown orders in March 2020.
The Libertarian Party of Mississippi shared a social media post the sheriff made on March 30, 2020, in which he announced the arrest of the “Pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, who intentionally and repeatedly disregarded state and local public health orders, which put his congregation and our community in danger.”
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Rodney Howard-Browne was arrested on “two second-degree misdemeanors for Unlawful Assembly and Violation of Public Health Emergency Rules.”
The sheriff’s office said it followed up on an anonymous tip that Howard-Browne refused requests to temporarily stop holding large gatherings.
Sheriff’s Office personnel and legal staff followed up and met with the church’s attorneys “in an attempt to educate them on the orders in place and the dangerous environment they were creating for their members and the community.”
“I believe there is nothing more important than faith at a time like this, and as a Sheriff’s Office, we would never impede on someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort,” Chronister said in a press release posted on March 30, 2020, “but practicing those beliefs has to be done safely.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Dec. 1 shared the Libertarian Party’s post and declared opposition to the nomination.
“I’m going to call ‘em like I see ‘em. Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest of a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns,” Massie wrote.
Chronister was unavailable for comment.
Non-Partisan Community Support
Chronister has earned accolades from citizen groups normally found on both sides of the political aisle.
“Sheriff Chronister has exemplified service above self, reduced crime, has remained focused on community policing, and furthering a culture of diversity and inclusion at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff’s office states on its website.
He’s been awarded the Housing and Education Alliance HEART for the Homeless Award; the NAACP Walter Moses Burton Unsung Hero Award; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Memorial Commemoration Committee’s Robert W. Saunders Award for Distinguished Community Service in the furtherance of Human Rights; the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber President’s Award; and the Sheriff’s Indian Advisory Council Indian Cultural Prestige Award.
Chronister is a husband and father of two and continues to play an active role in his Bay Area community.
He has received further awards such as the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Citizen Award; the University of South Florida President’s Fellow Medallion; the Brandon Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Award; the Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay Spirit of Achievement Award; and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay Great Futures Honoree.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a Democrat, congratulated Chronister on X, declaring the nomination: “Much deserved. An excellent choice by President-Elect Trump.”