Haines City Officer Fired After DUI Arrest

Haines City, Florida, police officer Joseph Everett was fired after being arrested in Orlando on DUI and reckless-driving charges while off duty in his assigned department patrol vehicle. Orange County records list the charges, and the department confirmed Everett is no longer employed there. Everett joined the department in July 2026 after previously serving as a Polk County sheriff’s deputy. He also faced a DUI charge in 2024 while with the sheriff’s office, but prosecutors dropped that case in 2025 and he was not convicted. Authorities have not released further details about the latest arrest, and the investigation is ongoing.