Ric Bradshaw says he’ll return to Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office ‘very soon’

Ric Bradshaw is under pressure to release at-risk inmates.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has not been to the office since April, but his office released a statement with his voice Monday, saying he would return to work “very soon.”

The message, which also said the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department is operating at full capacity, is similar to what his spokeswoman said in May, right down to the complaints about rumors and misinformation about his health.

The only difference is that now he’s resting at home, not at the hospital, according to his voice over that’s delivered over a montage of photos and b-roll from his press conferences. And this time, “soon” became “very soon.”

“Despite all the rumors and misinformation regarding my health, I’m out of the hospital, at home and continuing to recover,” Bradshaw says, over light piano music during the 41-second video clip. “I’m feeling good. I look forward to returning to the office very soon.”

A news release that accompanied the video clip says, “doctors have said his recovery is going better than they expected.”

If Bradshaw remains in office through March 2023, the 74-year-old Democrat will be Palm Beach County’s longest-serving Sheriff. The current record is held by Richard Wille, who was elected in 1976 and returned to office four times. He served 18 years before retiring midway through his fifth term in 1995, according to the Palm Beach Post.

In May, PBSO Spokeswoman Teri Barbera said that his recovery from a May 3 procedure involving his heart was going better than expected. That May procedure came after an April elective procedure.

His office has not gone into detail about what these procedures involved.

The statement Monday was intended to be a message to the Department’s 4,300 employees the Sheriff oversees. It was released on the Office’s Facebook page Monday afternoon.

“The agency continues to work at high capacity thanks to your hard work and dedication,” Bradshaw says. “The past few weeks have definitely shown me that we are certainly a family and that’s what makes us strong.”

The Office has a budget of more than $788 million. A specific date for Bradshaw’s return was not indicated on Monday’s news release.