It’s not just U.S. Highway 27 anymore. One year to the day after he died in the line of duty, motorists Saturday could see a new sign: Master Deputy Bradley Link Memorial Highway.

It is a fitting tribute, said Mayor Pat Kelley in a Saturday morning ceremony at city hall. After all, the 28-year-old grew up in the fast-growing town, attended Minneola High and patrolled the city streets for a time as a Lake County deputy after leaving the force in Polk County.

“It’ll be great to see the sign every day,” said his father, Daniel Link, who has lived in Minneola with his wife Christi for 24 years.

He said it is a comfort to know that he will be remembered, and that he can be an inspiration for those who learn about his sacrifice, perhaps even inspiring a new generation of law enforcement officers.

Link, his wife, and Link’s widow, Brittany received their own signs at the ceremony.

Link died in what Sheriff Peyton Grinnell described as an ambush near Eustis that also wounded two other deputies.

Daniel said Bradley was about 6 when he said, “I’m going to be a Lake County sheriff’s deputy and keep you guys safe.”

He said his mother-in-law’s house was burglarized. “He could see the fear in her eyes.”

Pamela Jones from U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster’s office, state Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, and Sheriff’s Maj. Todd English spoke about the joint effort it took to rename the busy stretch of road from Washington to County Road 561.

Sheriff’s Chaplin Joshua Douglas praised Link’s courage in “running into the darkness.”

“Our safety comes with a high cost.”

Julie Sulpizio, 49, has been charged with being principal to first-degree murder and other charges for allegedly luring Link and Master Deputy Harold Howell and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano into the home occupied by her husband, Michael, and daughters Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio. Master Deputy Harold Howell and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano were shot and wounded before the three shooters committed suicide.

After the ceremony, English was asked about a New York City officer, Didarul Islam, who died recently in a mass shooting. That city features mayoral election candidate Zohran Mamdani, who for years called for defunding police, and is now distancing himself from those comments.

“That has never resonated with me,” English said. Fortunately, Florida is strong on supporting law enforcement, and it has actually increased funding for law enforcement. Law enforcement and the military keep the nation safe, he said.

At Link’s funeral, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell praised the 28-year-old for emptying his gun in suppression fire to aid the deputies who tried to rescue him. “His bravery and will to fight allowed the other officers to safely retreat,” he said.

Grinnell awarded Link with the Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart. Grinnell also praised the deputies who tried to rescue Link.

Sulpizio has been ruled incompetent to stand trial. She is being hospitalized until she is able to help her defense attorneys.

Other roads in Lake County have been dedicated to fallen war heroes, and to Sheriff Chris Daniels who died in 2006 in an accident during a charity event.

In 2005, three other deputies were wounded in a gunfight, one fatally, in Lake County.

Deputy Wayne Koester died in the 2005 ambush and Tom McKane and Billy Crotty were wounded by Jason Wheeler during a domestic violence call. Wheeler is serving a life sentence.