Longtime former Sheriff Rick Roth passes away

Former Monroe County Sheriff Rick Roth, known for his long service and visionary leadership, quietly passed away Tuesday night surrounded by family.

He was 80. Sheriff Roth of Grassy Key is survived by his two daughters, Cathy and Deanna, as well as his granddaughter Rayna.

“It is a sad day at the Sheriff’s Office as Sheriff Rick Roth passed away Tuesday night,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “Sheriff Roth had confidence in me and helped me be the person I am today. Myself and this agency are successful because of Sheriff Roth. I will be forever grateful for his friendship and mentorship. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest leaders to wear the badge. Our thoughts are with his family and to all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Sheriff Roth was originally from Minnesota, but his service in the U.S. Navy brought him to Monroe County whereupon he met and married the love of his life, Sandra Handley Roth, in 1959. (Sandra Handley Roth passed away in 2016 at the age of 76).

The Roths briefly moved to Minnesota, but the new family would move back to the Florida Keys shortly thereafter when Sheriff Roth received a job offer as a Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatcher.

Sheriff Roth enjoyed recalling the story of his family’s move back to Monroe County: As they drove south on the Turnpike in their little 1957 Chevrolet, they noticed everyone else was headed north. Hurricane Betsy had just torn through the Keys. Sheriff Roth made his job interview despite the hurricane and so began his 43 years of service — 18 as Sheriff.

Sheriff Roth would enjoy a career that included working with then Sheriff William Freeman’s efforts to eradicate drug smuggling in the Keys in the 1970s and then the Mariel Boat Lift of the 1980s, which came at a time when there were very few Spanish speakers in the agency, as Sheriff Roth often recalled.

By the time he became Sheriff, Sheriff Roth developed the professional vision that shaped the Sheriff’s Office into the modern agency it is today. He forged goals that made the Sheriff’s Office a state and national accredited law enforcement agency.

An animal lover, Sheriff Roth played a key role in getting the much loved Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm off the ground. What started with a few ducks from the golf course, the Animal Farm is now a full scale forever home for a litany of creatures which attracts global media attention as well as thousands of visitors a month.

The Trauma Star air ambulance helicopter program began under the vision of Sheriff Rick Roth in 2002. That year, the agency acquired its first helicopter. The program grew in the years thereafter and now three aircraft serve the community with an additional base operating at Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West as well as out of the original hangar at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport. The aircraft currently perform more than 1,000 flights a year. This premier life-saving program exists due to the vision, dedication and leadership of Sheriff Roth.

Sheriff Roth retired in January 2009, but his legacy at the Sheriff’s Office will never be forgotten.

“Sheriff Roth had many accomplishments we will always remember, but none greater than being beloved by the community he so proudly served for the majority of his life,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

Sheriff Ramsay ordered all Sheriff’s Office Commanders to place all flags at half-staff Wednesday morning.

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