Watch again: FOX 35 Osceola County Sheriff Debate between Marcos Lopez, Donnie Martinez
Osceola Sheriff Debate: Marcos Lopez v. Donnie Martinez
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and challenge Donnie Martinez met at FOX 35 on Thursday to share their vision for the future Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Marcos, the current sheriff, and Martinez discussed their experience, their vision for law enforcement, crime states, recruiting, and law enforcement training. FOX 35's John Brown and LuAnne Sorrel moderated the debate.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Update: The debate has concluded. We'll be posting a rebroadcast of the debate here shortly.
FOX 35 News will host a live debate on Thursday with both candidates vying to be the next Osceola County Sheriff.
Anchors John Brown and LuAnne Sorrell will moderate the 30-minute debate from FOX 35's TV studio in Lake Mary, Florida.
Current Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and Osceola County businessman Donnie Martinez have agreed to the debate.
How to watch FOX 35's Osceola County debate
The debate starts at 4 p.m.
It will be livestreamed on FOX35Orlando.com, in the FOX 35 News app, and in the FOX Local TV app, available via Roku, Amazon TV, Samsung TV, etc. You can also watch in the video player at the top of the article.
The debate will then re-air on FOX 35 News Plus (exact time and date to be confirmed). Check your TV guide to find the specific channel for FOX 35 News Plus.
The full debate will also be available on the FOX Local app.
Meet the candidates
Lopez was born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida, according to his website. He served in the military before joining the Osceola County Sheriff's Department in 2003. He was elected sheriff in 2020. He's served in various units, including communications and patrol, criminal investigations, and the community response team, according to his official bio.
Marcos highlights the Real Time Crime Center and the creation of several specialty units at OCSO: Tactical Ant-Crime Unit, Osceola County Narcotics Bureau, and Fugitive Program with Puerto Rico.
Martinez worked for years as a realtor and a businessman in Central Florida, according to his YouTube channel and website. He attended the Law Enforcement Academy at Eastern State College. He has not served in an official law enforcement capacity.
He believes new leadership is needed at OCSO. He said his goals are to focus on "tools, technology, and training," as well as recruiting, according to his campaign website. He believes in "intelligence-led, community-based policing."