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I’m not sure anyone is shocked when they find out that even cops break the law. Some break it more than others, of course, but this story really isn’t about that. Instead, it’s about Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno in Florida, who issued a press release earlier this month saying he has “zero tolerance for street racing” after catching an 18-year-old in the act. The Florida Trident claims that the statement was bogus, as a video purportedly shows Sheriff Marceno himself street racing a Corvette in a black Lamborghini Huracan Spyder.
The clip is short at just nine seconds long. It was allegedly filmed by Bonita Springs jeweler Ken Romano, who the Trident writes was cruising down the six-lane South Tamiami Trail alongside Sheriff Marceno. At the start, the Corvette driver says, “Yeah, juice that motherf*cker!” His callout is met with a downshift and a highway pull, in which the Corvette goes 74 mph without catching the Lambo. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 50 mph.
Marceno and Romano have a controversial pre-existing relationship that goes beyond the scope of this blog. What’s more relevant is that Marceno has repeatedly taken a hard public stance on street racing, posting about it on the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook account multiple times this year. The LCSO even shared a video with bodycam footage from Operation Street Takeover, in which they made 67 traffic stops, issued 74 citations, and made nine arrests.
In another post, the sheriff talked about sending reckless drivers to jail, aka “Motel Marceno.”
“Driving an [sic] excessive speed and putting yourself, your passengers, and others on the road at risk is an incredibly selfish decision,” Marceno wrote in a press release on June 5. “My deputies will continue to patrol the roads of Lee County, ensuring drivers make smart choices or they will face the consequences.”
Marceno is currently serving his second full term as Lee County Sheriff. The local News-Press writes that since 2021, Marceno’s salary has increased from $178,000 to $261,000. Still, there’s no confirmation that the Huracan Spyder—which lists for anywhere between $200,000 and $260,000 on DuPont Registry—belongs to him.
Locals posting on social media don’t seem surprised by the video. And while it’s unclear when the footage was taken, I found it shared on Facebook as early as September 2024, though the Florida Trident only uploaded it to YouTube last week.
The Drive has reached out to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for comment and will update this story with any response.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
