BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Michael Fultz, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s 2025 Deputy of the Year, resigned after an administrative investigation documented multiple findings of misconduct and Sheriff Wayne Ivey indicated that the agency intended to terminate him.
Fultz, 24, submitted his resignation on May 27, 2026, following completion of the internal investigation, according to records obtained and reported by WKMG News 6. The investigation examined allegations involving firearm handling, racially offensive language, use of an automated license plate reader system, off-duty traffic stops and conduct during a video call while Fultz was on duty.
Not all allegations made against Fultz were substantiated, according to the investigative records. However, investigators reported that Fultz acknowledged involvement in several of the incidents examined by the agency.
Hired in 2024, Honored as Deputy of the Year
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office hired Fultz as a probationary deputy in September 2024, according to an agency spokesperson.
On April 30, 2025, Fultz responded to a residence where authorities said a suicidal man armed with a knife charged toward him. Fultz fatally shot the man.
The sheriff’s office subsequently praised Fultz’s response, stating that he demonstrated restraint and provided medical assistance after the shooting.
At the agency’s annual awards ceremony on March 13, 2026, Fultz was named the 2025 Deputy of the Year. The sheriff’s office said his actions during the April 2025 encounter protected both Fultz and a woman inside the residence.
Records reported by News 6 indicate that Fultz’s former girlfriend contacted the sheriff’s office with allegations concerning his conduct on the same day as the awards ceremony.
The sheriff’s office then opened an administrative investigation.
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Photograph and Racially Offensive Messages Examined
Among the evidence reviewed by investigators was a photograph reportedly taken in 2023, before Fultz joined the sheriff’s office.
According to the administrative report, investigators described the photograph as depicting Fultz with a mustache styled in a manner they believed resembled Adolf Hitler and appearing to make a Nazi salute.
Fultz acknowledged posing for the photograph but denied being racist, telling investigators that the image was intended as a joke, according to the report.
Investigators also reviewed text messages provided by Fultz’s former girlfriend in which Fultz repeatedly used a racial slur.
Fultz confirmed the messages were authentic, according to the investigative report. Investigators wrote that Fultz explained he had grown up in a foster home with Black parents and siblings and said the terminology had become normalized for him.
According to investigators, Fultz also acknowledged that a law enforcement officer should not use derogatory words or racial slurs regardless of intent.
The report further states that Fultz denied hearing other Brevard County deputies use the same language or make racially motivated jokes.
Investigators Reviewed Images Involving a Firearm
The administrative investigation also examined photographs involving Fultz and his former girlfriend during consensual sexual activity.
According to News 6’s reporting on the investigative records, Fultz confirmed that images showed him placing a firearm in his former girlfriend’s mouth and pointing it toward the back of her head.
The former girlfriend told investigators that the sexual activity itself was consensual, according to the report.
Fultz reportedly told investigators that the firearm was personally owned.
Investigators, however, wrote that the firearm visible in the photographs resembled an agency-issued handgun assigned to Fultz after the April 2025 fatal shooting. The available investigative reporting does not establish conclusively that the firearm was agency-issued.
Investigators wrote that Fultz acknowledged disregarding firearm safety training during the activity.
Facetime Call From Patrol Vehicle Investigated
Fultz’s former girlfriend also provided investigators with screenshots from a Facetime call showing Fultz wearing his uniform while sitting inside a patrol vehicle.
She alleged that Fultz was engaged in sexual conduct during the call.
Investigators specifically stated that the images were not sufficiently clear to determine conclusively what Fultz was doing.
Fultz denied masturbating while on duty and told investigators he had only been pretending to engage in the conduct during the video call, according to the administrative report.
Because investigators could not conclusively establish the alleged sexual act from the images, that allegation should be distinguished from conduct that investigators independently verified.
Flock License Plate Reader Search Confirmed
Investigators also examined Fultz’s use of the sheriff’s office Flock Safety automated license plate reader system.
Fultz’s former girlfriend told investigators that he had previously discussed being able to watch or track her through the system, although she said she did not know whether he had actually tracked her vehicle.
An audit conducted by sheriff’s investigators determined that Fultz searched his former girlfriend’s license plate on one occasion before the beginning of his shift, according to the report.
The search was entered into the system as being conducted for an “investigation.”
Investigators reported that Fultz denied using the system to spy on his former girlfriend or retaliate against her but was unable to provide investigators with a reason for querying her license plate while off duty.
News 6 reported that the administrative investigation does not indicate Fultz was subjected to a criminal investigation over the database search.
Investigators Document Multiple Off-Duty Traffic Stops
The administrative investigation also determined that Fultz had been stopped by outside law enforcement agencies at least four times within approximately two months while riding his motorcycle off duty.
According to the sheriff’s office investigation, Fultz failed to report those encounters to his supervisors as required by agency policy.
One of the encounters involved the Florida Highway Patrol.
A trooper reported documenting Fultz traveling approximately 111 mph on U.S. 192 near Melbourne in February 2026, according to the investigative report.
Investigators wrote that the trooper believed Fultz’s speed and surrounding traffic conditions satisfied the requirements of Florida’s dangerous excessive speeding statute.
Florida Statute 316.1922 provides that dangerous excessive speeding occurs when a driver operates a vehicle more than 50 mph above the speed limit or travels at 100 mph or more in a manner that threatens the safety of other people or property or interferes with another vehicle.
Fultz was not arrested during the stop.
Instead, News 6 reported that he received a civil traffic citation listing his speed as 6 to 9 mph above the limit. Fultz later paid a $155 fine.
According to sheriff’s investigators, Fultz acknowledged that the speed he had been traveling would violate the dangerous excessive speeding law.
News 6 reported that Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to its questions concerning the stop.
Motorcycle License Plate Issues Also Documented
Investigators reported that Fultz was stopped twice by Melbourne police for allegedly having an intentionally concealed motorcycle license plate.
He was not cited during those encounters, according to the administrative records.
Fultz reportedly explained that the license plate had been concealed as part of a photo shoot.
After sheriff’s office supervisors instructed Fultz to keep the motorcycle plate visible, surveillance video later showed him leaving a sheriff’s office parking lot without a license plate attached to the motorcycle, according to investigators.
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Sheriff Intended to Terminate Fultz
Following completion of the administrative investigation, Sheriff Wayne Ivey indicated that Fultz would be terminated.
In a memorandum reported by News 6, Ivey wrote that the severity of the misconduct had damaged the trust necessary for Fultz to continue performing the duties of a deputy sheriff and created unacceptable risks for the agency and community.
Fultz submitted his resignation on May 27, 2026, following completion of the investigation.
A Brevard County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told News 6 that the agency had identified nothing in Fultz’s original employment application or background investigation that should have prompted additional scrutiny before he was hired.
Fultz Responds to Investigation and Resignation
In a written statement provided to News 6, Fultz apologized to the sheriff’s office, his former colleagues, his family and Brevard County residents for the embarrassment and attention caused by his actions.
Fultz acknowledged making mistakes and exercising poor judgment in both his personal and professional life.
He also said that he does not agree with every allegation or conclusion contained in the administrative investigation and emphasized that investigators did not substantiate every allegation made by his former girlfriend.
Fultz said he accepted responsibility for his own conduct and the outcome of the investigation while declining to publicly release private communications or make allegations against his former girlfriend.
He also said he remained proud of his law enforcement service and particularly of his actions during the April 2025 armed encounter that ultimately resulted in his Medal of Valor recognition and Deputy of the Year award.
Fultz said he is now focused on moving forward with his life.
What the Investigation Established
Based on the administrative investigation as reported by News 6, records indicate:
- Fultz acknowledged posing for the photograph investigators described as depicting an apparent Nazi salute.
- Fultz confirmed the authenticity of text messages in which he repeatedly used a racial slur.
- Fultz confirmed participating in consensual sexual activity involving a firearm.
- Investigators could not conclusively establish that the firearm involved was his agency-issued handgun.
- Investigators could not conclusively determine from screenshots whether Fultz engaged in the sexual act alleged during the on-duty Facetime call.
- An audit established that Fultz searched his former girlfriend’s license plate through the agency’s Flock system before his shift.
- Investigators documented multiple off-duty traffic stops that Fultz did not report to supervisors as required by agency policy.
- Fultz resigned after the administrative investigation was completed and after Sheriff Ivey indicated an intent to terminate him.
Current Status
Fultz is no longer employed by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
News 6 reported that there is no indication in the administrative investigation that Fultz was criminally investigated in connection with his use of the Flock license plate reader system.
The publicly reported administrative findings concern employment and agency-policy matters and should not be interpreted as criminal findings unless separate criminal charges or proceedings are announced.
As of the publication of the News 6 investigation on August 19, 2026, no criminal charges against Fultz related to the conduct detailed in the administrative investigation were reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael Fultz?
Michael Fultz is a former Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was hired in September 2024 and later named the agency’s 2025 Deputy of the Year.
Why was Michael Fultz named Deputy of the Year?
The sheriff’s office honored Fultz for his response to an April 30, 2025 incident in which an armed, suicidal man charged toward him with a knife. The sheriff’s office stated that Fultz’s actions protected a woman inside the residence and himself.
When was he given the award?
Fultz was honored as the 2025 Deputy of the Year during the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office annual awards ceremony on March 13, 2026.
Was every allegation against Fultz substantiated?
No. The administrative investigation was unable to substantiate some allegations. Investigators reported, however, that Fultz acknowledged involvement in several of the incidents examined.
Was the firearm in the sexual photographs his police-issued gun?
Fultz told investigators it was his personally owned firearm. Investigators reported that it resembled an agency-issued handgun assigned to him, but the publicly reported findings do not establish conclusively that it was the agency-issued weapon.
Did investigators prove Fultz engaged in a sexual act while on duty?
Investigators said the screenshots from the Facetime call were not sufficiently clear to conclusively establish the allegation. Fultz denied engaging in the alleged act and said he was pretending.
Did Fultz access his former girlfriend’s license plate through Flock?
According to the administrative investigation, an audit found that Fultz searched her license plate once before the beginning of his shift. Investigators reported that he could not provide a reason for the search.
Was Fultz arrested for allegedly traveling 111 mph?
No. According to the administrative investigation reported by News 6, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper documented Fultz traveling approximately 111 mph but issued him a civil citation rather than arresting him.
Was Michael Fultz fired?
Fultz resigned on May 27, 2026, after completion of the administrative investigation and after Sheriff Wayne Ivey indicated that he intended to terminate him.
Sources
This report is based primarily on administrative investigation records obtained and reported by WKMG News 6, along with publicly available information from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Florida statutory records.
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