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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Retiring Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli looks back on 30 years of law enforcement
STUART — When Joseph 'Tummo' Tumminelli first started at the Stuart Police Department in March 1997 as a reserve officer, he never imagined he would be leaving the agency as Chief of Police 28 years later. Tumminelli, 56, announced his plans to retire from the agency in a Facebook post April 1. His last day will be May 24. He has worked in law enforcement for 30 years, including 28 years with the Stuart Police Department and two years at the Martin Correctional Institution. "I've got mixed emotions about it, you know. Am I making the right decision? Am I making the wrong decision? I don't know," Tumminelli said. City of Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli conducts daily business from his desk on April 17, 2025, inside his office in Stuart. After spending the last 28 years within the Stuart Police Department, the chief is retiring on May 24. Born and raised in New York, he moved to Florida with his dad in 1989. He worked on a golf course doing landscaping before going into the electrician's union and eventually joined the police academy. He said he regretted not getting into law enforcement when he first moved to Florida. "Here I am digging ditches in this Florida heat and I said to myself, 'I always wanted to be a cop' so you know what? Let's go," Tumminelli said. Climbing the law enforcement ladder He started his law enforcement career in 1995 as a corrections officer at the Martin Correctional Institution. He said he thinks every police officer should start in corrections, because they need to know how to talk to people. "Inside of prison, you don't have any weapons to protect yourself. The only thing you have to protect yourself is your words," Tumminelli said. After completing training, he became a reserve officer at the Stuart Police Department in 1997. He moved around during his time with the agency, going from road patrol to being an evidence technician in his first two years. A big part of his career, he said, was when he became a narcotics detective in 2001. "While I was on road patrol I was a go-getter," Tumminelli said. "I didn't do a lot of DUI enforcement, but I did a lot of drug enforcement, and that was my passion, to become a narcotics detective." Capt. Joseph Tumminelli takes a moment during a traffic homicide investigation on July 13, 2015. Stuart Police investigated following a fatal semi and bicycle collision that left the bicyclist dead. He rose through the ranks as a corporal, sergeant, and captain until he was appointed interim police chief for about six months in 2018 when then Chief David Dyess became the interim city manager. Tumminelli was sworn in as chief on Jan. 9, 2019. He said he never considered being chief of police until about 10 years into his career when he was promoted to sergeant, which inspired him to take leadership classes and further his career. "I was like, 'you know what? I'm gonna put my foot on the gas,'" Tumminelli said. Tumminelli took leadership tips from the chiefs that came before him, Dyess and Edward Morley, adding that everything he absorbed over the years made him the chief he is today. "I am a mold of the people I worked for, people that I worked with, and even the bad guys I put in jail," he said. "You become this sponge, and you try and absorb as much information as you can to make yourself better, do the job better, and understand the job better." Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli (right) receives his new badge from his wife Martiza Tumminelli, with the support of their children, Hailey Tumminelli and Ryan Tumminelli, during Chief Tumminelli's swearing-in ceremony Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, at the Stuart Police Department. Former chief David Dyess, now Stuart's city manager, appointed Tumminelli, who has been with the department since 1997, to chief in December. "To the community, I will provide the best customer service to people in need," Tumminelli said during his address to the crowd that featured his friends and family, the Stuart City Commission, other area police chiefs and local dignitaries. Dangers of the job Tumminelli said one of the craziest things he has ever been through was when the Stuart Police Department and the Martin County Sheriff's Office worked together on a drug bust. He said they were trying to catch someone coming from Palm Beach to deliver crack cocaine and marijuana. Deputies tried to take down the drug dealer's vehicle, which then rammed into a Martin County patrol vehicle and injured a deputy. The drug dealer took off in the direction towards Tumminelli and his partner while deputies were shooting at the vehicle. An appreciation award for Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli is seen in his office during the afternoon of April 17, 2025, the Stuart Police Department offices on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. "We were in the line of fire," Tumminelli said. "So we had to jump out of the vehicle, out of the way of the gunshots." He said the drug dealer's vehicle turned and flipped down a hill about 10 feet and rolled over on its side. Another drug bust he remembers was one of the biggest crack cocaine cases Stuart police dealt with. He said the drug dealer was reaching behind his couch, not complying with orders, and he came very close to shooting the man. "I had my gun pointed at him, and you don't know what he's going to pull off from behind that couch. Could be a knife, could be a gun," Tumminelli said. "That's probably the closest I've been to shooting someone." 'Such a surreal moment' Tumminelli said he has seen some gruesome things over the years, but watching medics dislodge a grape from a 3 1/2-year-old boy's throat is something that's always in the back of his mind. At TooJay's Deli in 2007, Keegan Kinsley was semi-conscious and turning pale from a grape being lodged in his throat. Stuart Fire Rescue medics were able to dislodge the fruit from his airway and he started breathing again, according to Stuart News archives. Then fire medic Leroy Ehret and Lt. Vince Felicione of Stuart Fire Rescue talk with Keegan Kinsley outside the Monterey Road fire house in March 2007. Ehret and Felicione were part of the team that helped save Keegan from choking to death on March 25, 2007. "It's such a surreal moment because you see this child who is helpless and you have these men trying to get this grape dislodged from his mouth," Tumminelli said. "I'm watching this go down, and finally, thank God, here comes this grape out of this kid's throat, and it was this huge grape." He remembered scanning the restaurant and seeing a table of people holding hands and praying while the medics were helping the boy. Going home after work that day, Tumminelli remembered watching his wife feed his children grapes and being adamant about her cutting up the fruit. "It sounds so weird, but a grape is a trigger to me," Tumminelli said. "Every time I see a child eating grapes, it just brings me back to that moment." A lasting impact Sgt. Daniel Duran has worked with Tumminelli for 16 years and wishes he could've stayed with the agency longer. He said his favorite memory of Tumminelli was when he was on the police's tactical unit and Tumminelli was his sergeant. Duran wanted to pursue narcotics work and he said Tumminelli was very supportive. "He allowed me to pursue that and helped me along the way and gave me his time and his knowledge," Duran said. "He let me be the type of officer that I wanted to be." Lt. Brian Bossio said he has made countless memories with Tumminelli over the 14 years they've worked together, and they will 'without a doubt' keep in touch after the chief retires. He said when he started at the agency, Tumminelli was in charge of Bossio's in-house training. "Chief Tumminelli was always someone that I could turn to for advice," Bossio said. "One of the things I'm going to miss the most about him is that you know what you're getting, you know what his expectations are, and you know the job he expects you to do." Reflecting back and looking forward Since he has been chief, Tumminelli said he thinks the morale of the police department has come a long way. He said looking at where the department was when he started, and where it is now, is like "night and day." "I want to leave on a high note to where maybe someone will say 'he was a damn good chief,'" Tumminelli said. He said being chief has being very rewarding and "a fun ride" because he loves helping people, and he believes he's done a lot for the department over the years. "My heart is in law enforcement and always has been. You do something for 30 years it's like second nature to you," Tumminelli said. As of April, the next Chief of Police has not been selected. Tumminelli said the agency could do an outside search or go internal, but he is confident in the abilities of his captains, Flamur Zenelovic and Derek Ortado. "I think I have prepared them enough to where they can sit in the seat and successfully do the job," Tumminelli said. Although he does not know what he wants to do next, Tumminelli said he will take a few months to relax and travel before looking for other jobs. He does not plan to move out of state or out of the area, but whether he stays in law enforcement or goes into the private sector is still up in the air. Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Retiring Stuart Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli reflects on 30-year career
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Stuart police issue over 30 parking tickets during Costco's opening weekend
STUART — Over 30 parking tickets were issued by the Stuart Police Department on opening weekend for the new Costco store on South Kanner Highway, according to police officials. Stuart police issued 31 parking tickets at Costco on April 25-27, according to police spokesperson Lt. Brian Bossio. The parking ticket fines varied from parking in a fire lane, $25; obstructing traffic, $50; and parking 15 feet from a fire hydrant, $25. Bossio said Costco hired three Stuart police officers to assist with traffic issues and monitoring the parking lot. The officers were off duty, which means they were working as Stuart police officers and had full authority, but they were not subjected to calls those days. Eager shoppers, some with carts in hand, wait outside the building and in the crowded parking lot for the grand opening of the new Costco Warehouse on April 25, 2025 in Stuart. Stuart police wrote tickets for illegal parking along Southeast Legacy Way, a new street that connects South Kanner Highway with Willoughby Boulevard, Bossio said April 25. The parking tickets were placed on the cars not handed to people, Bossio said some people called the Stuart Police Department and were not happy about getting a ticket. "No one is happy getting a parking ticket, but all of the tickets that were issued were based around public safety," Bossio said May 5. The parking lot has 1,725 spaces, but appeared full by about 8:15 a.m. opening day, April 25. People drove around the lot waiting for shoppers to leave and some parked illegally along the curb. Martin County: Two in Stuart face drug charges after Sheriff's Office stages 'Operation Tooth Fairy' Stuart: Retiring Police Chief Joseph Tumminelli looks back on 30 years of law enforcement Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Parking tickets issued during Stuart Costco opening weekend
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Suspected hit-and-run driver in semi-truck forces Florida mom, toddler to crash into pond: MCSO
The Brief A Florida mom and her 3-year-old daughter were taken to the hospital on Monday morning after deputies a suspected hit-and-run driver sent them crashing into a pond. The driver of the truck, 69-year-old Alton Walters, was later located by the Stuart Police Department. He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and improper lane change. STUART, Fla. - A Florida mother and her 3-year-old daughter are recovering after deputies say a semi-truck driver forced them off a road and into a pond before taking off because he needed to 'make a delivery'. It happened along Kanner Highway in Martin County around 9 a.m. on Monday. The backstory According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the vehicle the woman was driving was struck by a semi-truck that was switching lanes, forcing her off the road and into a pond. Witnesses said the impact caused the car to veer off the road and into the water. The woman freed herself and her child from the vehicle and made it to the bank, according to MCSO. Deputies say the driver of the truck, Alton Winters, 69, of Florida, slowed down briefly but then drove off to a local produce company, claiming he had to make a delivery. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube He was later located by the Stuart Police Department and taken into custody. He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and improper lane change. The woman and her child were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
