By: Natalia Kurkova, Contributing Writer
A Saint Leo graduate, Marion Lewis, is the Director of Security at Saddlebrook Resort, author of an autobiography, former Tampa Captain of Police, and candidate for the title of Tampa Mayor in 2007. All of Lewis’ ventures since early adulthood have been about fighting for justice and serving the citizens of Tampa.
Lewis was born and raised in Tampa. His desire to fight for justice and establish order in his hometown was stirred when he learned about a shooting of an unarmed black man by a police officer in his neighborhood.
His first step towards his goal was to get a degree. He attended Saint Leo University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in criminology in 2000. After graduation, Lewis underwent the necessary training and got accepted into the Tampa Police Department.
“I have covered every inch of Tampa on patrol and have worked in the worst areas,” Lewis said as he described his experience in the most dangerous areas of the city.
One of Lewis’ biggest focuses throughout his career as a police officer was to bring back order in the public housing communities of his hometown and create peace between the police and the black community.
The strive for his goal to bring justice to Tampa led Lewis to achieve the title of Tampa Captain of Police. Throughout his work with the Police Department, Lewis saw the low retention rates of police officers belonging to minority racial groups.
To fix the situation, Lewis organized study groups for police officers to help them prepare for their exams in the department. The study groups grew to include officers of all races. In celebration of Black History Month, Lewis was named Outstanding Employee by the City of Tampa for his leadership work and commitment to the police department.
After graduation, Lewis underwent the necessary training and got accepted into the Tampa Police Department.
“I have covered every inch of Tampa on patrol.”
In 2007, Lewis joined the race for mayor of Tampa. The same desire for justice and order that led him to join the Police Department motivated him to bring about even bigger changes to his hometown which is why he ran for mayor. Some of Lewis’ political goals for Tampa were to increase jobs, improve infrastructure, and reduce traffic jams. With 25 years of experience in the police department, Lewis also saw the need for stronger preventative measures to secure neighborhoods and schools.
His candidacy, however, became an obstruction to his job in the police department. The major tried to force Lewis to resign. Lewis knew that his candidacy was not a legal reason for resignation. He decided to stand up for his rights and took the issue to court.
In January of 2007, Lewis left the police department, and in May of that year, he took the job as the Director of Security at Saddlebrook Resort.
While at the job, Lewis was fighting the court battle for his case against the city. In 2011, Lewis gathered his valor to bring about changes to his hometown and filed to run for Mayor once again. Lewis’ court case, however, was still in progress, and therefore, he did not go through with his campaign this time.
The case took five years to resolve, being transferred between the Hillsborough County Circuit Court and the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. Throughout its progression, the city tried stalling the case, in hopes that Lewis would give up on it.
“God provided my attorneys and me with wisdom, knowledge, and faith to pursue justice,” Lewis said regarding the litigation process.
After Lewis’ last appeal to the Second District Court of Appeal, the judge ruled in Lewis’ favor. The city attempted to reverse the case in the Supreme Court of Florida; however, the Supreme Court rejected the request. After finally winning the case, Lewis was satisfied with the progress of his career at Saddlebrook and decided not to return to the police department. Lewis’ family was also against his return.
Several months after the case was settled, Lewis was approached by a police officer, who thanked Lewis for his accomplishment in court. The police officer told Lewis about his intentions for filing for a position at the Florida State Legislature. The police officer also expressed his confidence regarding his current job security as a result of the outcome of Lewis’ court case.
In 2018, Lewis published a book entitled “If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, you will fall for anything.”
The book is Lewis’ narrative of the hardships he faced at the Tampa Police Department. In the book, Lewis portrays how his beliefs and desire to serve the citizens of Tampa guided him to stand up for what he believed in and carry on working towards his goal.
“There is always more work that can be done to improve the situation in the less affluent communities,” he said.
