Greetings fellow residents of Highlands County,
You have all heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child, well it also takes a village, or a community to solve the problems of a community. Courage, Community, Commitment! As my campaign unfolds and you get to know me you will realize, I possess the courage to make real change, the understanding of our community to make the necessary change, and the commitment to make Highlands County a safer community.
I would like to introduce myself to those of you who do not already know me and my family. I must start by saying, I do not sway left, not even in the harshest winds. I do not prescribe or subscribe to the cancel culture, fake news, or fabricated charges. In the workplace, especially in law enforcement, I believe meritocracy is paramount when evaluating leaders. Participation trophies are unacceptable, and the “good old boy” system exists in direct opposition to my values. As a well-seasoned law enforcement officer, I know the “rule of law” must prevail for this amazing country of ours to survive. Freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, common sense governing and common courtesy to our neighbors will ensure our freedom. I am a true patriot, conservative republican, and the next Sheriff of Highlands County.
My journey began in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in January 1970. My mother, Marjorie G. Martin (Singha), was beginning her nursing career when she met my father Cedric R. Singha M.D. My father moved our family to Sebring in 1973 so he could begin his medical practice. Although I was too young to remember much about my father’s practice, through the years I learned he practiced internal medicine and is credited as the first medical doctor in Highlands County, in the early 1970’s, to establish a practice in his specialty which was cardiological medicine.
Despite not being born in Florida, my siblings and I were raised in Sebring, and we are products of the Highlands County village. We are products of the local education system; we are products of local values, and we are products of the love and support of so many local residents who helped us continue our Christian faith. My brother David and my sister Rebecca have achieved elevated levels of success raising their families and cultivating their careers. David and his wife are both attorneys and they own and operate the Singha Law Group in St. Petersburg, Florida, while Rebecca and her husband are both Doctors of Pharmacy working in the Bradenton area.
I attended Woodlawn Elementary, Sebring Middle School, Sebring High School, South Florida Community College (South Florida State College), Warner Southern College (Warner University), and Florida Gulf Coast University. I graduated from the basic law enforcement academy at South Florida Community College in 1995. I continued my education at South Florida Community College completing as Associate of Science in Criminal Justice in 1998. I then enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management program at Warner Southern College completing that degree in 1999. The next step in my formal education came in 2014 when I completed a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Florida Gulf Coast University. I outlined my educational achievements to inform the people of Highlands County that as a candidate for the office of Sheriff, I am educated, I am pro-education and I intend to convey the importance of a good education to all employees of The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. The people of Highlands County deserve the best and brightest law enforcement officers who can think critically, solve problems, and truly understand the concept of protect and serve.
My law enforcement career has spanned about twenty-eight years. I began my law enforcement career at the City of Sebring Police Department in March of 1995 and now in 2023 serve as the Detective Sergeant for the City of Wauchula Police Department. Between 1995 and now, I have worked as a Police Officer for the City of Tampa, Florida Police Department, the City of Largo, Florida Police Department and as a Deputy Sheriff (and Sergeant) for the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. Most of my career (25 years) has occurred in Highlands County split between the Sebring Police Department and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
I met my wife Tonia in what I would describe as a stroke of good luck for me. Tonia has helped me mature over the last decade, she has stood by me in tough times, and she is the epitome of grace, intelligence, and beauty. She climbed her way into Healthcare Administration where she served the community for fifteen years in a local hospital. Tonia and I have five children and four grandchildren between the two of us. We both raised our children in Highlands County, and all are residents of Highlands County. While raising my children in Highlands County, I coached or assisted in coaching them in many sports, most affiliated with the Highlands County YMCA. My family focuses our charitable endeavors on Ridge Area ARC to honor and memorialize my brother Joseph M. Singha. The Singha family provides an annual Christmas meal for clients of ARC. Our Christian FAITH guides us through life. My decision to run for office was solidified as the result of an answered prayer. Tonia and I are just regular citizens who are service minded people with service rooted in our faith. I have led a relatively normal life filled with extraordinary events. I am an open book, with a few exceptions, so just ask about my law enforcement career, my travels, my hobby, my favorite sports teams, my favorite bourbon (no Bud Light in my house), and my unwavering of Love of The United States of America! I intend to serve the people of Highlands County in the realm of public safety. I will serve our community in this capacity with an intensity and relentlessness that does not exist in the current sheriff’s office administration. I will never say a disparaging word about the men and women who serve in the trenches as law enforcement officers in our great county, but they need honorable, true, and fearless leadership to guide them in their efforts.
I am a product of the Highlands County village, help me make our community safer, help me guide our law enforcement officers to excel in their profession, help yourselves by demanding accountability and honor from your law enforcement leaders. VOTE JOHN SINGHA for Sheriff of Highlands County 2024.
