Fort Walton Beach resident Eddie Perillo served for several years as an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy – and was a co-owner of Joe and Eddie’s restaurant in the south end of the county.

But, Perillo is most famous for being the father of a child with autism who was at the center of a child abuse scandal involving the Okaloosa County School District in the late 20-teens.

The scandal brought about the end of the Mary Beth Jackson administration at the Okaloosa County School District and saw him named ‘person of the year’ by the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Now, Perillo wants to return to law enforcement, where he had a 20-year career, and serve as the top cop in Okaloosa County.