Blue Knights International®

Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.

Florida Chapter XVII

Tampa, Florida

     Florida Chapter XVII is located in Tampa and has a membership of nearly 70 law enforcement professionals.  We are a member of the Southern Regional Conference. (SRC). Our membership of active and retired officers comes from local, state, and federal agencies.  We ride many different brands and styles of motorcycles.  The chapter meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm at a local restaurant.  We have local dinner rides on the fourth Thursday of each month and weekend, overnight and day rides on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.

     We eagerly welcome new members always having room for a few more!  For more information, contact our President or Vice President  about our chapter.  Come visit our meeting, meet the members, and see what we are about.

Click here for a history of the Chapter Officers thru the years here at Chapter Florida XVII

Florida Chapter XVII - History

     There were 17 members of Florida II (St. Petersburg chapter) living in Hillsborough County who decided to start their own chapter in Tampa.   In September 1990, the group began meeting on Friday nights at the Steak 'n Shake on Gandy Blvd. in Tampa for fellowship and to establish a new Blue Knights chapter.  They received a starter kit from International and a supportive letter of endorsement from Florida II (not opposing another chapter within a 50 mile radius).  The chapter was founded and received its charter in January, 1991 with its first sixteen "founding members"..

This group of Florida II members formed Florida XVII in 1991:

Founding Members

Bruce Beausoleil

Ferrell "Little Bear" Beck - (Heaven 1 - 1996)

Gordon Brainerd

Mitch Burney

Mary Coakley

Pat Coakley

Eddie Kurtzeborn

Dave McCoy - (Heaven 1 - 1993)

Joe McFadden

 Albert McPherson

Dennis Oliveria

Jeff Peterman

Neal Ribeiro

David "Doc" Riley

Gary Roo

Larry VanDyke

Curt White

     Listed below are some of the Agencies Represented in Florida XVII's Membership. 

Baltimore (MD.) Co.,| Belleair Beach PD | Boston (MA) PD | Clearwater PD |  FBI | Florida Fire Marshall  |  Florida Fish & Wildlife  |  Florida Highway Patrol | Greenwich (CT) PD  | Hillsborough County SO | Hopatcong Boro (NJ) PD  |  Largo PD  |  London (UK) Metro PD  |  Manatee County SO | Nassau County (NY) PD | New Bedford (MA) PD |  New Hampshire Liquor Auth | New Hampshire SP  | New York PD | Pasco County SO |Pine Level (NC)| Pinellas County SO | Pinellas Park PD |  Polk County SO | St. Petersburg PD | Tampa PD | Union Twp (NJ) PD  |  U.S. Customs PD | U.S. Postal Inspectors |  Wellesley (MA) PD  |  Yonkers (NY) PD | Yorktown (NY) PD |

This page was last updated on Monday November 12, 2007