Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith will retire Jan. 29, 2027, after more than three decades of service to the city he credits with shaping his purpose both personally and professionally.
"It's very bittersweet for me. I am definitely leaving as a happy warrior," Smith said. "I feel like I'm going out on top, and that's because of the team."
In a statement released by the city of Jacksonville Beach, Mayor Chris Hoffman praised Smith's unwavering commitment to public safety and his ability to foster open communication between the police department and city leadership.
"I am so grateful to Chief Gene Paul Smith for not only his dedicated service and leadership as chief of police, but his decades of commitment to our community's safety as he rose through the ranks of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department," Hoffman said.
"His integrity, professionalism and ability to effectively communicate with his team, the community and the city's leaders gave me tremendous confidence in his leadership. I wish him well in his well-deserved retirement and am very fortunate to have worked alongside him during my tenure as mayor."
City officials said Smith's early announcement reflects his commitment to ensuring a seamless transition. While he plans to provide recommendations for his successor, the final decision rests with City Manager Mike Staffopoulos and the City Council.
"We are a great department, and we have a say in our own future," Smith said. "It doesn't mean we have to agree with every decision that's made, but as long as we stay together and stick to the mission, I'm going to support whatever they decide. We're in a good place, and we're not in a hurry. My job is to steady the ship for the next six months until my replacement is chosen."
Asked what advice he would offer the next chief, Smith didn't hesitate: Be yourself. Always be honest, even when it's unpopular. Treat everyone with respect and kindness, even when you're taking them to jail. Be fearless and prepared, and lead with courage and confidence.
"I used to have the worst poker face, and Bruce Thomason, my mentor, wrote on my evaluation every year that I needed a better poker face," Smith said with a laugh. "The first year it wasn't there, I felt like I won the Super Bowl."
Looking back on his tenure, Smith believes he is leaving the department stronger than he found it, particularly when it comes to staffing, recruitment and compensation.
In 2024, city officials and the Fraternal Order of Police addressed critical hiring shortages by increasing the starting salary for police officers from $54,662 to $65,312 annually. Last fall, the City Council approved a three-year agreement that included a 5% pay increase effective Oct. 1, 2025, and on Oct. 1, 2026. The city and the FOP will reopen wage negotiations for the agreement’s third year.
The cap on annual pension benefits also increased from $100,000 to $110,000 effective Oct.1, 2025. It will rise to $111,000 on Oct. 1, 2026, and $112,000 on Oct. 1, 2027.
"This council and this city manager are the ones who pulled this off because they listened when we needed them to and did what had to be done," Smith said. "They saw the raises the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office received. They saw how short we were, and here we are three or four years later fully staffed and in a much better position."
"We have a voice now in the politics, operations and the budgeting that we never had before. We got significant raises, filled our vacancies, upgraded our equipment and completed our technology plan. Circumstantially, this was the summit. Now someone else deserves a chance."
More than any operational accomplishment, Smith said he is proudest of the culture within the department.
"We're different from every other agency. There's a different vibe. How many departments have elected officials, the city manager, the police chief and the police union all getting along? We support each other and generally share the same direction. I call it lightning in a bottle. It's so rare."
Smith joined the Jacksonville Beach Police Department in 1994 as a part-time officer, working 20 hours a week for $6 an hour.
At the time, he was bartending to support his young family when he and several high school friends applied to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Smith was the only one accepted and attended the open-enrollment police academy as part of the August 1991 class.
"It was a night class for about eight months while I was still working in the bar," he recalled. "It allowed me to work only 20 to 25 hours a week, make good money and still have weekdays free to attend the police academy."
The first member of his family to pursue a career in law enforcement, Smith credits former Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Bruce Thomason with shaping his career.
"He took a chance on me," Smith said. "My dad was military, but I never really thought about law enforcement. But when it took, it really took."
Smith joined the department alongside veterans Morris Ingle and Lee Amonette and completed his first ride-along with the late officer Andy Lavender. "We struck up a friendship, and the rest is history," he said.
Over the next three decades, Smith rose through the department’s ranks. He served as a patrol officer, field training officer, school resource officer, patrol corporal, internal affairs investigator, detective, special investigations sergeant and member of the command staff. He also spent 24 years on the SWAT team, serving as its commander from 1999 to 2019. Smith established the department's Special Investigations Unit before being appointed chief in 2019.
During his career, Smith watched Jacksonville Beach evolve, particularly its downtown entertainment district. He said the city must continue addressing the tension between its identity as a family-friendly beach community and a regional entertainment destination.
"Even when I came here all those years ago, everybody wanted to be a small-town beach community. Those days, if they ever existed, were gone a long time ago. We may not have been as developed, but we've always had huge numbers of people coming to the beach,” he said.
"We're going to grow, period. Instead of digging in our heels and resisting it, we need to manage that growth and decide what kind of downtown we want."
Smith said growth inevitably brings public safety challenges. "You can't have 8 million visitors and no crime. You can't have three major roadways packed with traffic and no crashes. You can't fill downtown with establishments serving alcohol and expect no alcohol-related incidents.”
"We don't control who comes into our city or the environment we police. The city and its residents need to decide: What kind of city do we want? After more than 30 years, I still don't have a consistent answer."
Smith said he feared his job could be on the line following two episodes of gun violence. Three shootings in downtown Jacksonville Beach on St. Patrick's Day in 2024 killed one person and wounded three others. On Feb. 21, 2026, five teenagers were wounded in a shooting after an unauthorized "teen takeover" gathering.
"Somebody has to take the blame, and that's fine," he said. "Everybody needs a pound of flesh. I accepted that the first day I was sworn in. You have to go out, speak the truth and let the cards fall where they may. I vowed during my tenure as chief that I was going to continue to be me, with all my faults. I'm an emotional manager, and I have a big mouth. That's me. I wasn't going to change because I took a different job."
Smith said issues such as state limits on home rule, gang violence and continued development pressures will remain among Jacksonville Beach's biggest challenges.
"It's symbolic when I say the barbarians are at the gate," he said. "Jacksonville Beach is a gem, and everybody wants a piece of it. They want our tax dollars, our votes, our beach on their billboards, our roadways and our entertainment district."
After more than three decades in law enforcement, however, Smith said it was time to walk away. "It affects everything in your life. It affects your family, your friends, your physical and mental health, and after 32 years, it's taken its toll,” he said.
"I promised myself I wouldn't stay one day longer than I should. I found myself wanting to be with my wife, my grandkids and my dogs — and have the Fourth of July off — more than I wanted to be a police officer. That was the first time I'd ever felt that way. I didn't know how much longer I could go all-in. The day I couldn't do it anymore, I said I'd leave because my people and the citizens deserve so much more than that."
Although retiring from the department, Smith intends to remain part of the community and celebrate the milestones of the officers he considers family. This time around, he won’t sacrifice moments with his own loved ones.
"That's why I leave a happy warrior. I love my profession. I am an all-in leader. That's the only way I know how to lead, and I hope nobody thinks I left all of this to chance. This is my life's work, and it's very hard to let go. But I have a great staff, and I trust the City Council and everyone involved to make the best decision for this city,” he said.
"Regardless of who sits in that seat, the employees and the citizens are guiding the ship now. Everything is moving smoothly, like an ocean liner at flank speed. It's going to be hard to turn, which in this case is a good thing. The course is set."
