A veteran Orange County Fire Rescue battalion chief is facing a soliciting prostitution charge after detectives say he agreed to pay $80 for sexual services during an undercover sting in neighboring Seminole County. Steven Michael Sherrill, 45, was taken into custody by detectives after traveling to a confidential location tied to the operation, according to police.
The Altamonte Springs Police Department reported that Sherrill, identified as an Orange County battalion chief, was arrested as part of a prostitution sting out of Seminole County, as reported by WKMG ClickOrlando. Per the arrest report cited by the station, investigators located several online advertisements on websites commonly used to solicit prostitution acts, and Sherrill allegedly agreed to a quick visit for sexual services in exchange for $80 before detectives took him into custody.
Orange County Fire Rescue had not responded to News 6's request for more information as of publication, per the same account. Sherrill received a 20-Year Service Award from the department in July 2022, according to the Orange County Fire Rescue Department, meaning he has served with the agency for more than 24 years as of this year. A battalion chief is a senior operational commander overseeing multiple fire stations and personnel, a role that puts Sherrill's arrest under added scrutiny as a public-trust matter.
A Regional Agency Under the Spotlight
Orange County Fire Rescue is one of the largest emergency response providers in Central Florida, serving unincorporated Orange County and contract areas covering more than 780 square miles and roughly 800,000 residents while responding to over 125,000 calls annually, according to the department's own figures. Battalion chiefs like Sherrill manage field operations during major emergencies across those response districts, underscoring the seniority of the position now tied to a criminal charge.
Altamonte Springs sits in Seminole County, immediately adjacent to Orange County's northern border, a geography that makes cross-county commuting common for public safety personnel throughout the Orlando metro region. The sting that led to Sherrill's arrest took place on August 21, according to the seed reporting, and reflects tactics the Altamonte Springs Police Department has used for decades. The agency has conducted undercover and reverse prostitution stings dating back to at least 1990, frequently posting decoy ads online and arranging meetups at local hotels to target consumer demand in Seminole County.
What Florida Law Says About the Charge
Under Florida Statute § 796.07(2)(f), soliciting, inducing, or enticing another person to commit prostitution is classified as a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense — the most serious misdemeanor tier under state law. A conviction can carry up to one year in county jail, one year of probation, a $1,000 criminal fine, a mandatory $5,000 civil penalty, 100 hours of community service, and mandatory attendance in a human trafficking awareness course.
Florida law does not require physical sexual contact or an actual exchange of money to prove solicitation; a verbal or digital agreement to trade money or valuable items for sexual acts is legally sufficient to establish guilt, which is how undercover stings like this one secure arrests without officers engaging in any physical act. A second conviction would no longer be treated as a misdemeanor — it escalates to a third-degree felony carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail and up to five years in prison.
Open Questions Remain
It remains unclear whether Sherrill was on or off duty at the time of the sting, and Orange County Fire Rescue has not said whether he has been placed on administrative leave. Central Florida public safety agencies typically place first responders facing criminal charges on administrative leave while conducting parallel internal affairs investigations, with those disciplinary reviews proceeding independently of any criminal court outcome. No initial court appearance date or formal statement on Sherrill's behalf had been made public as of publication.
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