Caleb Finn, former Florida CPF chairman, writes:
I have had the great privilege of interacting with many of you. Up until Thursday, 10 March I was the chairperson of this wonderful community organisation.
It is both with great joy and a sense of sadness that I must share that due to an exciting change in career for me, I have had to resign as your chairperson.
I have received an offer from the DA to stand as a candidate for them in the upcoming local elections. I am very happy to share that I will be standing for Ward 70 and I am excited to continue working with many of you, only in a different capacity.
The CPF by nature is an apolitical organisation and it should most certainly remain this way, hence my decision to resign.
As I reflect over the last four years of my involvement with the Florida CPF I am absolutely amazed by the many things I saw in my time, first as an exco member and later as chairperson. What particularly amazes me is the manner in which the citizens of Florida are not scared of a challenge, always uniting in the face of adversity. When compared to certain policing areas, I’ve always felt incredibly blessed in Florida. Neighbouring areas battle get even a handful of people to a meeting, others battle to move past internal politics and in-fighting.
Florida has the dream team, I can honestly say it was a privilege to work with each and every one of the approximately 200 volunteers who make up the greater Florida CPF network, including the sector and sub-sector crime forums and thousands of Floridians who belong to these various forums. We have achieved many breakthroughs in the fight against crime and I have absolute and total confidence that this will continue to be the case.
I also wish to extend a word of thanks to the Florida Police. I have a huge amount of respect for the vast majority of police members at Florida. These members see and deal with things many of us would never want to face. These members crept into my heart and today I can say that I am friends with many of the officers. We have walked the beat together and a brotherhood has formed among us. We will obviously not always agree but I thank each and every member who has been willing to engage and find a happy compromise on the many issues we have had to face.
This letter cannot go without thanking my fellow executive committee members for their absolute passion and dedication. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with the pace they set for themselves. No matter what time or day, these people have worked with dedication to ensure the Florida policing area becomes a safer place. I am confident that the team will soar to even greater heights and I look forward to interacting with them in my new capacity.
Wishing you all well and in the words of JM Barrie, “Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting”. Take care, stay safe and keep building our partnership between the community and the police.
