Head agent at Miami FDLE office retires suddenly — but nobody has said why

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The head of the Miami Regional Operations Center of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement “retired” abruptly Thursday.

A group of agents were called to a mandatory meeting Thursday morning and told that Special Agent in Charge Troy Walker had retired “effective immediately.” Walker, the first African-American to be named chief SAC at the Miami FDLE, was in his third year in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan and was, reportedly, seeking a higher post at the state level.

A couple of law enforcement sources told Ladra that the story is why Walker left so suddenly. The FDLE media office issued this statement Thursday afternoon after Political Cortadito called:

“During his tenure, SAC Walker developed countless partnerships with South Florida law enforcement and the community. These bonds returned trust and confidence in the FDLE Miami Region and led to many successful law enforcement operations and initiatives. We appreciate his dedication to the law enforcement community, the State of Florida and Miami.”

Fort Myers FDLE Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson will temporarily manage both regions until a permanent replacement can be selected, a spokeswoman said.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Walker had been with the FDLE for almost 30 years. He came to Miami in 2014 from the Tampa Bay Operations Center after then Gov. Rick Scott ousted former FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey. The shakeup reached the Miami office, where the agent in charge was demoted and the deputy forced to resign. Enter Walker.

Two months into the job, he was suspended with pay after a “citizen’s complaint,” according to a report published in the Miami Herald.

Walker — who got his BA and MBA at Florida A&M University — joined FDLE in 1997, where he was assigned to the Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center, investigating economic crime and public corruption cases. By 2004, he was made a special agent supervisor. By 2011, he was the assistant SAC in Tampa Bay, or second in charge.

Since 2014, Walker has overseen all the operations, administrative and special program functions of the Miami Operations Center, which covers Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. That includes some public corruption investigations. Ladra can’t help but wonder if he was on one now.

Walker has handled domestic security, counter terrorism, threats & targeted violence, human trafficking, officer involved shootings, public integrity, complex economic crimes, mortgage fraud, prescription drugs/narcotics, major illicit drugs, organized crime, gang, gun violence, and money laundering investigations.

  FDLE, public corruption