BRADENTON BEACH – John Cosby’s last day as Bradenton Beach police chief was Sept. 30.
Cosby became the police chief in 2021. After more than 38 years, he’s left the police department, but he remains a city employee. He now serves exclusively as the city’s public works director. Cosby had served as police chief and public works director since longtime Public Works Director Tom Woodard vacated the position in May 2024.
Cosby was also in charge of the code enforcement department that’s now supervised by recently hired Building Official Ben Carr.
Cosby will remain the city’s emergency operations management director. He’ll also serve as FEMA coordinator and lead the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
Cosby joined the police department on Jan. 11, 1988. He was promoted to corporal in 1991, sergeant in 1993 and lieutenant in 1999.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
While reflecting on his accomplishments, Cosby said his role as the city’s emergency manager stands out.
“I think the emergency management program as a whole is probably the most important thing, which is not totally law enforcement related,” he said.
At the 40th annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference in West Palm Beach on May 14, Cosby received the Chad Reed First Responder Award for his leadership of the city’s response to the 2024 hurricanes. The award is presented to an individual or organization serving as a first responder that made an outstanding contribution in the field of hurricane emergency response in the state of Florida.
Cosby coordinated the city’s recovery efforts with the state that included a visit by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation.
POLICE DEPARTMENT PRIORITIES
Within the police department, he said his priorities upon taking over as chief were retirement, training and equipment.
“Training was basically nonexistent,” he said.
Retirement benefits for employees were another of Cosby’s priorities. Because of his efforts, the department now has a defined benefit plan through the Florida League of Cities, and Cosby said he pushed to extend it to civilian employees as well.
He also required upgraded patrol cars and added new Toughbook laptops. The department also bought service weapons for its officers.
“Up until that point we carried our own guns, which is a huge liability,” Cosby said.
The department’s general orders, its written policies, had not been updated since 1992. Cosby said a hurricane interrupted the rewrite.
“We actually just finished the general orders two weeks ago,” he said. “So Chief Diaz will sign off on those and that’s what will be issued to the troops.”
ADVICE FOR SUCCESSOR
Lenard Diaz, a former department lieutenant, became police chief effective Oct. 1.
Cosby said his main advice to Diaz was to talk with his family about how the job will impact their lives.
“The biggest thing I told him was make sure you have a real talk with your family because this job now is your family,” Cosby said. “As a department you always feel that way but now it’s you and sometimes things are going to have to be put aside. In the position everybody else is in they look up, in the position as chief you can only look around because it’s just you.”
Cosby said Diaz is well prepared.
“He’s worked closely with me, as well as the entire staff in moving the police department forward, so he’s been involved all along,” he said. “So, there’s nothing hidden except for the amount of work it is when you’re sitting in that chair.” SUCCESSION PLAN
Cosby said no additional promotions within the department are planned when Diaz becomes chief.
Instead, Chuck Sloan, a former Bradenton Beach officer who attended law school and now works for the FBI, is expected to join the department as lieutenant after he retires from the FBI in October 2027. If all goes as planned, Sloan will move into the chief’s position when Diaz retires in a couple of years, Cosby said.
“You have a retired special agent in the FBI, and he is a Florida board-certified attorney, so for the city to get somebody with those types of credentials is pretty impressive,” Cosby said.
NEW ROLE
Cosby had served as both police chief and public works director for more than two years while also overseeing code enforcement. Asked what he will miss about being chief, he pointed to the trust he built.
“I’m just happy that I was able to gain the respect of the commission, the citizens, the business owners and the staff over the years, that’s the biggest,” he said. “When you say something, you don’t have to prove it, they take your word for it and that’s nice.”
As public works director, Cosby supervises five full-time employees and is responsible for public works, stormwater, the Bradenton Beach pier, facilities maintenance and maintaining lease guidelines for Anna Maria Oyster Bar.
“It’s a big change,” he said.
His new work hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and he said the change is already noticeable.
“I’m already sleeping better,” Cosby said.
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