by Chuck Seaver, SOUTH LAKE TABLET
The 4th Annual Honoring the Fallen 5K Race was held on Saturday, February 25th beginning at SunCreek Brewery, 790 West Minneola Avenue, Clermont.
The annual event, sponsored by the Clermont Police Department, honors those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives while serving others. This year’s proceeds will be donated to the Central Florida Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.). C.O.P.S. is a nationwide, non-profit organization that strives to help rebuild the shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.
This year’s 5K was a sell-out with five hundred registered participants, an increase from last year’s three hundred contestants. Participants of all ages and abilities traveled the course that began at SunCreek Brewery, continued to the South Lake Fitness Trail, to the Lake Hiawatha Preserve on Lake Minneola Shores and back to SunCreek Brewery.
Opening ceremonies included a flag and honor guard presentation by the Clermont Battalion Sea Cadets as well as the National Anthem performed by Pam Jones, spokesperson for United States Congressman Daniel Webster and Clermont Police Chief Chuck Broadway.
One hundred thirty-four police officers lost their lives in the line of duty during the 2023 calendar year. So far this year, there have been twenty law enforcement, line of duty fatalities nationwide, including Florida State Trooper Zachary Fink. Trooper Fink was killed earlier this month while pursuing a suspect in a fleeing vehicle in Port St. Lucie.
Visit www.centralfloridacops.org for additional details and survivor assistance information.
