Board of Directors
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President Rhonda Irons, Martin County Sheriff's Office
Rhonda Irons has been employed with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Stuart, Florida for over 20 years. She began her career assigned to the Classification Unit of the Corrections Division and 12 years later transitioned into the position of Crime Prevention Practitioner where she remained for five years.
She assumed the role of Public Information Officer in 2007 and is responsible for the timely release of accurate information regarding arrests, ongoing investigations, programs and services provided by the agency. She also provides community outreach, handles all inquires from local, state, national and international media outlets, and responds to high profile incidents acting as the spokesperson for the agency.
In addition to her involvement with FLEPIOA, she is a member of the Florida Government Communicators Association, and the Florida Public Relations Association. She is also currently President of Keep Martin Beautiful, a non-profit organization providing sustainable solutions for volunteers to make a direct impact in their communities through their own individual actions involving litter prevention, waste reduction, beautification and community improvement, and environmental stewardship education. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Crisis Communicator of the Year award from the FPRA/Treasure Coast Chapter and in 2009 was named the FLEPIOA Public Information Officer of the Year.
rirons@sheriff.martin.fl.us
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Vice-President & Membership Chair, Elizabeth Watts, City of Clearwater
Elizabeth Watts is the Public Safety Public Information Officer (PIO) and spokesperson for the Clearwater Police Department and Clearwater Fire & Rescue. She also handles Emergency Management public relations and serves as the backup PIO for the entire city. She began her career with the City of Clearwater in 2006. Beth is also an Adjunct Instructor at the St. Petersburg College Southeastern Public Safety Institute where she created the college’s first media relations curriculum for law enforcement.
Prior to her career with the city, Beth spent eight years as a television news producer. She covered everything from hurricanes to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and had several Emmy newscast nominations. Beth was also recognized by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for producing an Amber Alert training video for law enforcement statewide. Beth is a recipient of the FLEPIOA 2009 Public Image Award for her public relations efforts in a drug house that was turned into quality affordable housing and donated back to a historically blighted community. She also received the Florida Government Communicators Association 2009 Crystal Award for creating a public service announcement that highlights the importance of yielding to emergency vehicles. Beth is also a member of the National Information Officers Association), and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, for which she serves as the Tampa Bay Area Chapter’s Media Relations & Public Information Chairperson.
Beth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media from Hampton University and Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
elizabeth.watts@myclearwater.com |
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Secretary Stephanie Slater, Boynton Beach Police Department
Stephanie Slater became the Boynton Beach Police Department’s Public Information Officer in April 2007, following seven years as a newspaper reporter. Slater, a New York native, is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she majored in print journalism. After graduating in May 2000, Slater moved to South Florida and worked as a police reporter for the Boca Raton News. In 2002, she was hired by the Palm Beach Post. There, she wrote about police and fire rescue news, covering departments in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. She also authored the Post’s crime blog, Behind the Yellow Tape, which appeared on the newspaper’s Web site. Slater won numerous awards for her work and served a three-year term as president of the Florida Press Club.
Slater is the spokeswoman for the Boynton Beach Police Department, serving as the liaison between the officers, the media and the public. She writes the department’s press releases, provides television news interviews, maintains the department’s Web sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace) and oversees the department’s Officer of the Month program. Slater is a member of the National Public Information Officers Association. She is FLEPIOA's Webmaster and became secretary of the organization at the 2008 conference.
slaters@bbfl.us
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Treasurer Carrie S. Eleazer, Polk County Sheriff's Office
Carrie Eleazer began her career at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 1999 working for the Law Enforcement Colonel. Carrie became a Public Information Office in 2002. Prior to moving to Polk County, She spent 7 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Cryptologic Arabic Linguist, and has two 2-year degrees. She is currently enrolled in college, seeking her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, and she holds a Certified Public Manager certification from Florida State University. Carrie is the 2007 recipient of the FLEPIOA Internal Crisis award, and was elected Vice President the same year. She served as the 2008 FLEPIOA President.
carrie@polksheriff.org
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