Robert Schulz
Introduction
Robert Schulz is a 67-year-old resident of Bartow, Florida, who spent 28 years as a New York City firefighter before retiring to Central Florida — and who was arrested on October 30, 2026 in the largest sting in Polk County’s history. Per the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, he sent sexually explicit messages to someone he believed was the guardian of a 13-year-old boy, traveled to meet the child, and then asked deputies to release him as a “professional courtesy.” He was announced by Sheriff Grady Judd among 281 people arrested in the seven-day “Polk Around and Find Out II” sweep.
Background Information
Schulz is a retired New York City firefighter, per the sheriff’s office, with 28 years on the job before leaving the department. That pedigree made him one of the more striking entries on a roster that otherwise leaned on theme-park employment; the New York Post’s coverage of the week emphasized Disney and Universal workers, a youth football coach, and a Navy sailor among the nearly 300 arrested.
The operation itself was announced by Judd on Friday, October 30, 2026: 281 arrests in seven days, the most in county history, pairing child-predator stings run by undercover detectives with a prostitution investigation. The Post’s breakdown included 117 arrests of people who allegedly solicited prostitution from undercover officers, 122 arrests for committing prostitution, and 36 arrestees who were married; 11 people suspected of being trafficking victims were rescued. Judd put the mission plainly: “The focus here is to go out into the underworld and look for those who want to prey upon our folks.”
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Schulz was arrested in the sting and charged with felonies including traveling to meet a minor and attempted lewd/lascivious battery on a minor. The allegations below come from Polk County Sheriff’s Office statements; nothing has been adjudicated, and he is presumed innocent.
According to the sheriff’s office, Schulz sent sexually explicit online messages to an undercover detective who was posing as the guardian of a 13-year-old boy. Deputies said he then traveled to the undercover location, where he was taken into custody.
The arrest did not go quietly: per the sheriff’s office, Schulz was combative when taken into custody, and he asked law enforcement to let him go as a “professional courtesy” — quoted verbatim from the roster. He was charged with six counts: use of computer to solicit guardian, traveling to meet a minor after soliciting guardian, use of two-way communication device to commit a felony, attempted lewd/lascivious battery on a minor, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest — the last two alleging he fought the deputies arresting him.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The “professional courtesy” line stood out among the week’s arrests: per the roster, a retired New York City firefighter asked Florida deputies to release him without charges, and instead was booked into a six-count charge sheet that included battery on a law enforcement officer. WKMG reported the request plainly, quoting it verbatim in its account of the arrest.
The Post’s person-by-person coverage of the sting concentrated on the Disney-connected and coaching arrests, with Schulz appearing in WKMG’s full roster of the child-predator suspects and their charges rather than the national write-up. Judd’s press conference, per the Post, cast the whole week — 281 arrests, 11 trafficking victims rescued — as proof the office would keep going after those who “want to prey upon our folks.”
Current Status
Schulz was taken into custody at the undercover location and charged with the six counts listed above, including battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. The cited reports record the arrest and the charges only: no arraignment, plea, or trial date appears in them, and nothing about the case had been adjudicated as of the October 30, 2026 announcements. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Schulz’s firefighting career ended in retirement before the arrest, so what is at stake is reputational rather than professional: the sheriff’s office publicly tied a 28-year New York City fire service record to an alleged attempt to meet a 13-year-old boy, complete with a booking on charges of battering the officers who took him in. The “professional courtesy” request guaranteed the arrest’s circulation in coverage of the sting. Neither cited report includes any statement from the FDNY or from Schulz himself.