Capt. Frank Rubino lands police officer 'dream job'

There’s not much Longboat Key Police Capt. Frank Rubino hasn’t done in his 32 years of law enforcement.

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1977 to 1980, Rubino entered the police academy in 1980, moved to South Florida and never looked back.

Rubino began his career as a police officer in 1980 in Tamarac. In 1983 he moved to Plantation, where he climbed the ranks of its police department.

For the next 21 years, Rubino worked his way up through the following jobs: detective, internal-affairs sergeant, public information officer, road sergeant, detective sergeant, lieutenant road commander and commander of the bureau as a captain.

Rubino also has police-management training, courtesy of the FBI and the Southern Police Institute.

When he retired in 2004 and moved his family to the West Coast of Florida, Rubino was commander of investigations in the detective bureau.

Retirement wasn’t for Rubino, though. He began working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Fort Myers region in 2004 as a special agent.

Rubino also worked with Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming at FDLE until 2008, when Cumming left for Longboat Key.

When he visited Cumming a few years ago, he thought he would like to finish his career working as a Longboat Key police officer.

“Working in a community like this with a bunch of knowledgeable police officers who have so much vast experience is a dream job,” Rubino said.

Rubino’s dream job became available Feb. 25, when Cumming asked him to join the department.

“The level of service we perform makes it enjoyable to be here,” Rubino said. “The level of experience these officers have gives this Key’s residents a level of expertise that’s unheard of anywhere else.”

Rubino said his first call was to deliver a death notification to a couple on the Key whose son had died.

“The compassion that went into delivering that news, from the chief on down, was just incredible,” Rubino said. “I’m proud to be a part of a force like that.”

Although there is not a deputy chief position in the department, Rubino is listed as Cumming’s administrative captain.

“I carry out the orders of the police chief,” Rubino said. “My goal is to carry out the goals and objectives of the agency and this town.”

Frank Rubino
Age: 53
Family: Wife, Linda; and two daughters, Kimberly and Krystal
Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.
Hobbies: Boating, fishing and golfing
Interesting fact: Rubino was a part of a “Dateline NBC” sexual-predator sting a few years ago.