Fort Myers Regional Operations Center (FMROC)

Counties Served: Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Sarasota, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands,Okeechobee
 

The Fort Myers Regional Operations Center (FMROC) was founded in 1996 after growth in Southwest Florida. FMROC encompasses 10 counties spanning from Manatee, Desoto, Highlands and Okeechobee counties in the north to Collier County in the south. FMROC has two field offices located in Sarasota and Sebring.

FMROC agents and crime intelligence analysts work a variety of criminal investigations focusing on narcotics, domestic security, economic crime, organized theft, human trafficking and cybercrime. The Fort Myers Crime Laboratory processes evidence for local law enforcement agencies throughout the state, including seized drugs and friction ridge/latent prints. The disciplines within our Crime Laboratory which are Biology/DNA, Seized Drugs, Crime Scene & Friction Ridge.

During its history, FMROC agents and crime laboratory analysts have helped solve thousands of crimes. In the 1980s, agents, working in what would later become FMROC, investigated Operation Peacemaker, a major drug-smuggling case resulting in more than 175 indictments and more than one million pounds of marijuana seized.

FMROC agents investigated one of the most complex and lucrative human trafficking cases in Florida’s history, leading to multiple arrests and six victims being rescued in 2013. FMROC agents and crime laboratory analysts also helped solve the 2007 Punta Gorda Hog Trail murders and the 2006 strangling murders of a Clewiston family.

In September 2022, agents arrested 24 violent gang members and associates, dismantling a deadly drug ring. Operation 13 Tiers, an FDLE-led multi-agency investigation, also resulted in more than 380 pounds of methamphetamine, 48 pounds of fentanyl and 45 guns seized and removed from Florida’s communities