Sheriff Vent Crawford
Vent Crawford is a lifelong resident of Hardee County. He and his wife, Dr. Teresa Crawford, have been married for 35 years and have one daughter, Kaylyn Walton and two grandchildren, Wynley Kate and Crawford.
Vent graduated from Hardee High, earned an AA from South Florida Junior College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of South Florida. He is currently working on his Masters in Criminology with American Military University and lacks his thesis to complete. He served in state law enforcement for 28 years beginning his career as a trooper in Miami and ending his career with the Florida Highway Patrol as a Lieutenant. During his law enforcement career he has worked in every county in Florida South of Polk County. As a state law enforcement officer, Vent oversaw homicide investigations, served as a district lieutenant, oversaw communications for South West Florida, and supervised training and evidence for Troop F.
Vent has been an active community volunteer beginning at 17 as a volunteer firefighter. He has coached Little League, served as an umpire, player agent and the President of the league. He chaired the Juvenile Justice Board, served as a mentor for at-risk students at the high school and has chaperoned countless events. More recently Vent has served on the fair board and is their vice-president. He has been instrumental in securing grants for their improvements and has worked to oversee those improvements.