Roll of Honor
Incident
Corrections Officer Michael Taylor died as a result of contracting COVID-19 while serving at the Sumter County Detention Center at 404 East Anderson Avenue in Bushnell.
Officer Taylor had served with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office for eight years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Corrections Officer Michael Preston Taylor died on August 16, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 32.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-1097783B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Corrections Officer Taylor gave the Sumter County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wildwood community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corrections Officer Taylor.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corrections Officer Michael Preston Taylor is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 81 of 1,008 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Sumter County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Preston Taylor's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Preston Taylor Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Preston Taylor is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Sumter County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
