Walton appoints new EOC director, emergency manager

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS – The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that the agency has replaced former Emergency Operations Center Director Mike Barker.

The Sheriff’s Office appointed Capt. Joe Preston to the position on Aug. 12, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. Barker resigned Aug. 6, after he was put on administrative leave for having an improper relationship with an employee.

The Sheriff’s Office also selected Russell Beaty as manager of emergency management. Beaty was chief of the Pensacola Fire Department, as well as Pensacola’s emergency management officer.

Preston has nine years of experience at the Sheriff’s Office, and has also served as a law enforcement officer in Kansas City, Mo., according to the release. Preston was recently commander of the training unit.

Prior to entering law enforcement, Preston spent 20 years in the corporate world, working as director of service operations for Fairbanks Scales and Hill-Rom, the release said. He is an adjunct instructor at Northwest Florida State College, where he trains law enforcement recruits.

“His diverse background brings a unique blend of business acumen and law enforcement experience to the agency,” the release states.

Beaty started as a Pensacola firefighter in 1983, and moved up the ranks while working in several branches. He became battalion chief in 2005 and fire chief in 2009. He holds certificates as an EMT, fire service instructor and emergency medical dispatcher.

Beaty’s specialties include emergency operation control, incident command and domestic preparedness.

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