Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight was recently chosen as the 2017 Elected Official of the Year by the Republican Party of Sarasota County. In announcing the award, the party cited a 40 percent drop in crime in Sarasota County since Knight took office in 2009, Knight's efforts to combat opioid abuse and "his extraordinary efforts to deport 460 criminal illegal aliens." Knight will receive the award at a dinner that begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, at Michael’s on East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $60.