Erin Hill
Gadsden County News Service
A ransomware attack that locked the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office out of its computer systems for more than a month contributed to delays in the county’s annual financial audit and other required financial reporting, according to records and information presented to county commissioners.
The attack affected the Sheriff’s Office accounting system and initially left the agency able to use only one computer, according to emails from Ryan Tucker, a partner with Purvis Gray, the accounting firm conducting Gadsden County’s audit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2025.
The emails, sent to county officials over several months, document how problems at the Sheriff’s Office affected the progress of the countywide audit.
In a Jan. 30 email, Tucker wrote that the Sheriff’s Office finance officer had informed auditors that the agency had been the victim of a ransomware attack and that all of its information technology systems had been locked for more secmonth, including its accounting system.
At the time, the accounting system had not been restored, Tucker wrote. The Sheriff’s Office was working with information technology specialists from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement but could not provide auditors with a definitive timeline for when its systems would be restored or when its financial records would be ready for audit.
While auditors had already made substantial progress reviewing other county offices, Tucker reported that none of the Sheriff’s Office audit had been completed as of Jan. 30.
The delay also affected another state reporting requirement.
Tucker wrote that the county’s Statement of County Funded Court-Related Functions was due to the state Jan. 31 but could not be completed because it required salary information from the Sheriff’s Office.
By March 31, auditors reported that work involving the Board of County Commissioners, clerk of court, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections was approximately 85% to 90% complete. The Sheriff’s Office, however, still could not provide a definitive date for when its books would be ready for audit.
The March update also confirmed that the county’s Statement of County Funded Court-Related Functions had eventually been submitted to the state, but after the Jan. 31 statutory deadline.
The delay continued into May.
In a May 13 email, Tucker said auditors had given the Sheriff’s Office a May 11 deadline to provide requested information if the county was going to meet its June 30 audit reporting deadline.
“As of today, we have not received any of the requested information,” Tucker wrote.
Auditors said at the time they were unsure when the Sheriff’s Office books would be closed and ready for review. Tucker also advised county officials that it typically takes several months for the Florida Auditor General’s Office to compile its list of governments with late audit submissions and recommended the county respond promptly to any correspondence concerning the missed deadline.
Progress was reported by July.
In a July 1 email, Tucker said the Sheriff’s Office had begun providing requested documents and that audit fieldwork was scheduled to begin July 14. Auditors hoped to complete the Sheriff’s Office portion of the audit by the end of July or early August and issue the countywide reports by the end of August.
The audit was ultimately completed after the state’s June 30 deadline.
During a September presentation to county commissioners, Tucker discussed the delay and the problems associated with the incident. Auditors recommended changes intended to reduce the risk of a similar disruption affecting the Sheriff’s Office financial records in the future, including moving accounting systems to a cloud-based environment.
The audit also addressed staffing and financial closing procedures at the Sheriff’s Office, including recommendations to evaluate accounting staffing needs and establish procedures for completing year-end financial work and maintaining access to records.
Col. Bobby Collins of the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office said the agency could not comment on the ransomware attack because it remains under active investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office has not publicly disclosed additional details about the attack, including who was responsible or whether a ransom was demanded or paid.