Longtime Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube said Tuesday he will retire when his current term ends in January 2017.
Steeube, 61, has been the county's sheriff since April 2007, when he was appointed after the retirement of Charlie Walls. Steube was elected in 2008 and re-elected 2012.
"While sheriff, he has led the agency through the downturn in the economy by reducing crime," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "This was accomplished after cutting nearly $5 million from the budgets, without sacrificing the quality of service to the citizens as the calls for service and population continued to increase."
Steube began his law enforcement career with the Longboat Key Police Department in 1976, and he joined the sheriff's office as a deputy in 1978. He rose through the ranks, becoming a sergeant in 1982, lieutenant in 1985, captain in 1993, major in 1997 and chief deputy in 2004.