LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A portion of U.S. Highway 27 in Lake County will be officially renamed Saturday to honor a fallen deputy, marking one year since his death.
Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link was killed on Aug. 2, 2024, during what law enforcement described as an ambush in unincorporated Lake County. Two other deputies, Harold Howell and Stefano Gargano, were also shot but survived.
The newly designated “Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link Memorial Highway” will span U.S. 27 from Division Street to County Road 561 in Minneola.
The city council approved the renaming in March, with Link’s father, Daniel, present at the meeting.
Link, a graduate of Minneola High School, was remembered as a hero by the community and his fellow deputies.
Investigators say the deputies responded to a neighborhood dispute near County Road 439 and Brookside Drive, when they entered a home and were ambushed.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Julie Sulpizio orchestrated the ambush, directing her husband and two adult daughters to hide inside the home with a stockpile of guns and ammunition. The three family members took their own lives after the shooting.
Sulpizio, who survived, was later found incompetent to stand trial in May and remains in custody at the Sumter County Detention Center.
In May, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation honored Master Deputy Link posthumously. His father accepted the award on his behalf.
Saturday’s roadway dedication ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Minneola City Hall.