MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced Friday who will become the agency's next leader.
Chief Deputy John Budensiek is now sheriff-elect, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post. He will officially become the next sheriff of Martin County early next year.
In March, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder announced that he would not seek a fourth term and on the same day, Budensiek announced his candidacy for the open seat.
Friday was the last day for others to enter the race and this is the first time in Martin County's history that a sheriff's open seat was uncontested, the agency said.
The agency said Budensiek's name will not appear on the 2024 ballot as he is the sole candidate.
"[I'm] starting to feel that pressure that a sheriff feels," Budensiek said. "I've got to take care of 160,000 to 170,000 people. I've got to deliver on my promises."
Budensiek, a lifetime Hobe Sound resident, has more than 27 years of law enforcement experience at the Martin County Sheriff's Office and was endorsed by Snyder.
According to the agency, Budensiek has been at the sheriff's side, for the past decade, making command-level decisions related to public safety and the overall operations of the organization.
Region Martin County
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder won't run for reelection
"I started at the Martin County Sheriff's Office when I was 19 years-old," Budensiek said. "I spent a lot of my career — 16 years of my career — doing narcotics work coupled with tactical work."
He's hoping to continue much of the work that Snyder has already started.
"Drug addiction is a huge thing for us. We want to help those that are addicts, but we also want to put drug traffickers where they belong and that's in prison," Budensiek said. "Youth are dying at a high rate and we've seen some of that here so we’re going to keep pushing on that."
He also cited issues like traveling crime and immigration as areas of focus. He also emphasized the role the sheriff's office will play in keeping up with crime as the region continues to grow.
"We know the projects that are coming to fruition," Budensiek said. "That does not happen overnight so it's our job to look ahead and see what's coming our way. We know Palm City is going to grow by about 45 hundred homes we know Indiantown is going to maybe triple in size."
He will be sworn in as Martin County's ninth sheriff at a public ceremony in January.
