Paul is the Emergency Management Director for Polk County, Florida, selected in 2018. He is responsible for the operations of the County’s E 9-1-1 System and Addressing Programs, the Emergency Management Program, and the County’s Radio Communications Program/Public Safety Radio System.
Paul is a 4th generation Polk County native graduating from Bartow High School in 1989. He became involved in Public Safety in 1992 as a volunteer firefighter. Following five years working in the Polk County Fire/EMS dispatch center, Paul accepted a disaster services position with the Polk County Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1998. He was deployed to North Carolina after Hurricane Floyd in 1998, Sarasota after Tropical Storm Gabrielle in 2001, and worked in the Red Cross National Disaster Operations Center in Falls Church, VA and the Disaster Computer Center in Austin, TX.
In 2003 Paul was hired by Manatee County Emergency Management as a Contingency Planner. Paul was deployed to Polk County following Hurricane Charlie in 2004. In 2005 he was deployed to Hancock County, MS following Hurricane Katrina and Monroe County following Hurricane Wilma.
In December 2005, Paul began work as the Emergency Management Program Manager in Polk County. He was responsible for overseeing the Polk County Emergency Operations Center along with all-hazards preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs. Paul was the EM project manager for the construction of the new Polk County EOC in 2009-2010.
Paul was deployed to New York City following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Other disaster deployments include Putnam County following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Calhoun County following Hurricane Michael in 2018, and in 2023 to Madison County following Hurricane Idalia.
Paul earned an associate degree from Polk Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration from St. Petersburg College, and a Masters of Emergency and Crisis Management from the University of Central Florida. He is a Certified Emergency Manager, Florida Professional Emergency Manager, Master Exercise Practitioner, and a Certified Public Manager.
Paul is a graduate of Leadership Polk Class XV and a current member of Leadership Bartow Class XX.