Sheriff Mike Chitwood is the face of law and order for almost 600,000 residents of Volusia County. Daytona Beach looms large in his purview as a busy Spring Break destination as well as the world headquarters of motorsports. It takes a staff of 1,000 to keep the peace in addition to each city’s police department.
With this kind of scope, it begs the question whether he always knew he wanted to be sheriff.
In fact, Sheriff Chitwood claims the opposite, and it’s not long before you realize he must have given his dad some gray hairs as a teenager. Sheriff Chitwood grew up in Philadelphia, the son of the chief of police who was a strong role model and ultimately his hero.
"I never thought I'd leave Philly - I was born and raised there," says Chitwood. "I was going to retire from the homicide department, but life doesn't always go to plan. The opportunity to become Daytona Beach's Chief of Police was something I couldn't have imagined." Back in 2006, he heard from a friend from the Philly PD who had retired in Ormond Beach about a job posting perfect for Chitwood, and like any good friend, wouldn't let up until Chitwood applied. Coming from a city with a high crime rate, he was confident he could handle whatever Daytona threw his way.
For ten years, he served as Daytona’s Chief of Police when another one of those life paths presented itself in the person of former Mayor Glenn Ritchey. “He called to tell me that Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson was retiring after 16 years as sheriff and 25 years in the department and encouraged me to run for office,” said Chitwood. “Being a politician comes with campaigning and fundraising and all kinds of things that career officers tend to dislike. My phone kept ringing, but I loved my job. Coming up was the Daytona 500, Bike Week, and Spring Break, so I was convinced the timing wasn’t right.”
As the story goes, Chitwood was working traffic for the Daytona 500 at Bill France and International Speedway Boulevard and causing traffic jams because people going into the race would stop to shake his hand and tell him to run for Sheriff. When the race ended, it was more of the same with people leaving the Speedway stopping traffic and trying to talk him into running – and so he ran for Sheriff.
Chitwood is known for being passionate about the job and obsessed with details; just the kind of person you want in charge of your safety and welfare. He also shows great compassion for others along with a belief that’s it’s important to be strong but fair.
He is also known for his no-nonsense approach to handling crime and as someone who harnesses the power of social media.
“We try to be as transparent and open as we can,” says Chitwood. “Social media lets us control the narrative with our documentary-style videos. Here’s the arrest, here’s the body cam, and here’s the report: you be the judge. We hope those criminals are embarrassed when we expose their misdeeds. If not, you're just not going to get far or live that long. You can’t get life insurance or a pension when you’re notorious. There’s a price that goes with the way you live.”
You’re also not going to get a free pass to roam the streets and tear up the beach on Spring Break if you come to Daytona Beach and Volusia County to cause trouble. “I’ve got nothing against people coming to Daytona Beach to have fun. There is nothing wrong with Spring Break and going to the beach,” said Chitwood, “but when you get 10,000 people showing up for an unsanctioned, unpermitted event – what’s going to happen is 2% of them are going to ruin it for everyone.”
There is a special event ordinance that allows the sheriff to file civil penalties against promoters of unsanctioned or unpermitted events and recoup the costs incurred. It wasn’t needed in 2025 because of good relationships with event promoters so the sheriff and police departments were able to prepare for crowd control. At press time, the sheriff’s department was continuing to gather evidence using the violator’s own videos posted on social media.
Technology is making policing more and more efficient. In certain triangulated areas, technology detects when guns are drawn so law enforcement and community safety efforts can become more preventative. Cases can be solved in hours instead of days due to license plate readers that work across jurisdictions. Non-emergency calls to the sheriff’s department are even handled by an AI operator named Ava who is so smart that she quickly sent a call from a car accident to the manned 911 system when a voice in the background reported neck pain.
“Technology has changed everything, but it’s a tool that certainly helps us fill some gaps in our ability to recruit dispatchers,” says Chitwood, “but this is still a people job. You still have to talk to people, build trust, and do real police work.”
Sheriff Chitwood is not shy about much, and that includes singing the praises of his social media team as well as the young officers on patrol and more senior members of the sheriff’s office interested in developing their careers.
“That’s how you build a strong organization—by preparing the next generation. I’m already blessed with a great team including Andrew Gant, a former Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter; Vicki Carr from Fox 35; and Brian Vandell our videographer,” he says. “I take great pride in guiding young officers with educational, training, and leadership opportunities. Two of my successors came up through the ranks while I was leading the department. I tell the young officers, though, pursue your career, but also work hard to not miss time with your family. Don’t let it cost you everything because if you let it, it will. It is still the greatest honor and awesome responsibility to create an environment of safety.”
Chitwood is known for a no-nonsense approach to crime and harnessing social media.