Governor DeSantis signs legislation honoring FWC Senior Investigator Kyle Patterson

On Tuesday, May 30, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB21, which included designating a portion of S.R. 70/Okeechobee Road between Ideal Holding Road and C.R. 613/Carlton Road in St. Lucie County as "Kyle Lee Patterson Memorial Way." 

“We want to thank Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for acknowledging the sacrifice Senior Investigator Patterson made for his state,” said Lt. Col. Brian Smith, Acting Director of the FWC Law Enforcement Division. “This honor is greatly appreciated by all who knew and loved Kyle and will serve as a remembrance of the great person he was and the difference he made in his community.” 

On June 9, 2022, Senior Investigator Kyle Lee Patterson succumbed to injuries sustained in a line-of-duty collision in which a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction crashed into Investigator Patterson's patrol truck. 

Investigator Patterson served with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for 15 years. During his career he received numerous awards, including a Lifesaving Award in 2010, an Exceptional Performance Award in 2015, a Letter of Commendation in 2017, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Award in 2018 and recognition for his performance during the FWC’s responses to Hurricanes Irma and Michael. He was 35 years old at the time of his death and is survived by his wife and two young children.