St. Johns County Sheriff's Office says Trump tweet was misunderstanding

St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office officials are now distancing themselves from a Donald Trump tweet that made it appear that the agency endorsed him for president. It’s a claim that is being refuted and labeled as a misunderstanding.

After his meeting with first responders Monday, Trump tweeted out he’s “honored to receive an endorsement from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office”.

That single tweet has been retweeted more than 9,000 times, creating some backlash for the sheriff’s office.

Trump met with first responders from all over Florida before his rally in St. Augustine.

Much of the meeting was conducted by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who has expressed his support for Trump.

On Trump’s right was St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar.

After the tweet the agency posted this on its social media, Neither “The sheriff’s office nor Sheriff Shoar have made any endorsement of a presidential candidate, on behalf of the men and women of the SJSO.”

To further clarify the situation, Shoar didn’t deny supporting Trump, saying he’s had conversations in the community about that but says he’s never signed any endorsement letter nor officially declared an endorsement in his capacity as sheriff.

Action News Jax requested a comment for our story today and the agency spokesperson sent us a note saying “Historically, government agencies including the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office do not endorse political candidates. That role is left to individuals, organizations, and associations.”

The spokesperson reiterated that people from both sides of the political aisle work at the SJSO and can endorse whoever they want on their own time but not on behalf of the agency.

Cox Media Group