SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — It's been two years, but the streets of Sarasota were once again filled with police officers running for a good cause.
The Sarasota Police Department just completed its leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The department said it wasn't able to participate for the last two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Officers and civilians with the department are part of the more than 300 Florida law enforcement agencies in the state-wide torch run. The event benefits Special Olympics Florida athletes.
Every year, more than 5,000 officers carry the torch on a 1,500-mile run during a relay across the Sunshine State, according to the agency.
Around 8:30 a.m. Friday, members of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office passed the torch to Sarasota police in the parking lot of Paradise Plaza Publix.
From there, runners relayed the torch along a route comprised of two legs. The first took the torch north on Tamiami Trail, past the split with North Washington Boulevard and north to Adams Lane before reaching the Sarasota Police Department Headquarters.
Once there the second leg begins from Adams Lane to north on East Avenue to Main Street. From Main Street, runners travel west through downtown Sarasota before ending at Five Points Park.
The event also focuses on donations, with all proceeds going to support Special Olympic athletes. Sarasota police say donations can be sent to Sergeant Kenton Montega at the Sarasota Police Department at 2099 Adams Ln. Montegna can also be contacted by calling 941-263-6773 or by emailing kenton.montegna@sarasotafl.gov.
You can find more information about the Law Enforcement Torch Run here.
