Biography of Sheriff David B. Shoar

Sheriff Shoar began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the St. Augustine Police Department in 1981. He served as a uniformed patrol officer for ten years until his promotion to Sergeant in 1991. Sheriff Shoar served as a uniformed Patrol Sergeant through 1997. In 1997, he was promoted to Operations Commander overseeing the Patrol and Detective Divisions. In 1999, he was assigned as the Administrative Services Commander. He served in that capacity until May of 2000, when City Manager Bill Harriss appointed him Chief of Police.

Sheriff Shoar is a 1987 Honors graduate from St. Johns River Community College. He graduated with highest honors in 1996 from the University of North Florida, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. In 2001, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with highest honors from the University of North Florida.

Sheriff Shoar is a member of several academic honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi and the Golden Key National Honor Society. He has served as an adjunct professor at St. Johns River Community College and Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

In 2005, Sheriff Shoar was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Flagler College. Also in 2005, Flagler College created the David B. Shoar Award for Academic Achievement to recognize the graduate of the Public Administration Baccalaureate Degree program who maintains the highest grade point average. Sheriff Shoar worked with Flagler College to create the Public Administration baccalaureate degree program for working professionals in 2003.

Sheriff Shoar retired from the St. Augustine Police Department in 2004 after being elected to serve as Sheriff of St. Johns County. After re-election in 2008 and 2012, Sheriff Shoar was elected to his fourth and final term as Sheriff in 2016.

Shoar is a 1998 graduate of the 193rd session of the FBI’s National Academy, a 2003 graduate of the 46th session of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS), and a 2004 graduate of the 35th session of the Chief Executive Seminar sponsored by the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute. He holds memberships in numerous clubs and civic organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (Lifetime Member), Ashlar Lodge #98, Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), International Association of Chiefs of Police (Lifetime Member), National Guard Officers Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, and the Northeast Florida Law Enforcement Executives Association.

In 2014, Shoar was elected by his fellow Sheriffs to serve as President of the Florida Sheriffs Association. He has served on a variety of advisory boards including the University of North Florida’s Institute of Government and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the Board of Directors of EPIC Behavioral Healthcare in St. Johns County.

Sheriff Shoar was appointed by three successive Florida Governors (Crist, Scott, and DeSantis) to serve as one of nineteen commissioners on The Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (2010-2020).

In May 2005, Sheriff Shoar retired after 24 years of service with the Florida Army National Guard. He began his military career as an enlisted soldier and soon earned his commission as an officer through the Florida National Guard Military Academy’s Officer Candidate School in 1988. Sheriff Shoar has served as a platoon leader, company executive officer, and unit commander. He has served our country and state during several operations including the Gulf War and during relief efforts after Hurricanes Andrew and Opal. He also served as an Operations Officer at the Guard’s State Headquarters in St. Augustine, FL.

Sheriff Shoar retired with the rank of Major and was decorated numerous times including being awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (twice), Humanitarian Service Medal, and several others. He was also awarded the Liberation of Kuwait Medal from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Sheriff Shoar has been fortunate to be recognized for his public service efforts over the years. In 2006, he won the America’s Most Wanted National First Responder Award. He received $10,000 as part of this award, which he donated to a disabled Deputy Sheriff. In 2007, Sheriff Shoar was selected by the American Legion as Florida’s Top Cop, and in 2008 he was awarded the Good Samaritan award by the Catholic Charities of St. Johns County.

In 2008 Sheriff Shoar received St. Johns County’s most prestigious award for civic involvement, the Salvation Army’s Gus Craig award. In 2017, Sheriff Shoar was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from Mental Health Inc. of North Florida for his many years of assisting and advocating for those suffering from mental health disorders. In 2017 he was also awarded the prestigious Colonel Ed Taylor award from the St. Johns County Veteran’s Council for his many years of dedication to our nation’s veterans. In 2020, he received the “Egon Bittner” award from The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Sheriff Shoar is married to the former Laura Giannotta. They are the parents of two children, Emily and Matthew. They live in the Crescent Beach area and belong to St. Anastasia Catholic Church in St. Augustine.

Resume