Chief of Police

Nelson Moya

Chief Nelson Moya began his career in law enforcement with the City of Palm Bay, Florida in 1991. During his 31 year career, he served in several functions such as field training officer, detective, training coordinator, and internal affairs Investigator. Upon his promotion to Sergeant in 1999, Chief Moya supervised a patrol shift, the community policing unit, the special investigations unit as well as leadership roles in the SWAT team. He continued to rise through the ranks; promoting to the rank of Lieutenant in 2010 and to Captain in 2012. He served as a District Commander until his promotion to Deputy Police Chief in 2017. In 2019, he was appointed as Police Chief where he served until his retirement in 2022.

Upon his retirement, Chief Moya returned to his hometown of Long Island, New York, where he served as Deputy County Executive for Suffolk County. He had oversight of public safety functions such as the Probation Department and justice intervention initiatives such as the implementation of the county’s first Threat Assessment Team. He was selected as Interim Police Chief for the Gainesville Police Department in July 2023. Chief Moya continues to prioritize his passion for keeping our community safe through community engagement and procedural justice while promoting a thriving internal culture with all department employees. Interim Chief Moya holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Administration from Barry University and a Master’s Degree in Public Safety form the University of Virginia.