As FWC Capt. Dave Dipre prepares to put a bow on 33 years in state law enforcement, a lieutenant already deeply familiar with the Keys community is ready to take his place in Adam Garrison.
“You, my friends here in the Keys, are getting an outstanding captain, leader, friend and partner in Adam,” Dipre said in a social media post announcing the promotion.
The Tampa native graduated from Florida Atlantic University before beginning his FWC career in 2013 with academy class 21, after which he immediately requested placement in Monroe County.
“I wanted to work on boats, and work in law enforcement, and this was the only place I felt that I could wind up,” Garrison said. “When I get a break, it’s either a paddleboard, boat, anything I can do to get on the water.”
As he worked his way through promotions from investigator to lieutenant, Garrison’s time with FWC saw multiple special deployments, from hurricane-ravaged zones to aiding with flooding in North Carolina and border security in Texas – an experience he called “a different world.”
“For the migrant issues we have, I’d take ours over theirs, for sure,” he said, crediting the work of Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard with severely reduced migrant landings throughout the Keys in 2025.
Garrison praised Dipre’s strength in identifying community contacts ready and willing to aid FWC’s mission, estimating he’d added north of 100 new numbers to his phone in introductory meetings throughout the past week.
“The Keys have that small-town feel, but there’s plenty of work for us to do,” Garrison said. “A lot of what we do overlaps with our partner agencies, so it’s all about the community and people that we’re working with.”
It’s a process Dipre urged Keys community members to continue by reaching out to Garrison and inviting him to personally meet the boating communities and non-governmental organizations that make up the Keys.
“If you think we can help you, or should be helping you in any way, call Adam and start talking to him about it now,” Dipre said. “Do not be shy about that kind of thing – it’s a small town, and if you’ve got a problem with FWC and you don’t tell us about it, then that’s your fault, so come talk to us.”
Asked for his priorities as he assumes the top role from Key Largo to Key West, Garrison said he’d continue to zero in on fishing violations while exploring novel ideas to house FWC officers throughout the island chain.
“Monroe County supplies the rest of the state and the country with so much resource, and it’s our responsibility to do our part in protecting that,” he said. “The best part of the Keys is on the water. And to be in a position as the captain and have a responsibility to take care of that, it’s a big role.”
Garrison’s official promotion is set to take place by the end of June, with a few weeks of overlap before Dipre’s retirement on July 31. Asked if he’d do anything drastically different from his predecessor, Garrison had a quick answer:
“I won’t be starting a band,” he laughed.
Garrison can be reached at 305-619-6290 and adam.garrison@myfwc.com.
