Staff Reports
Gov. Rick Scott on Friday appointed Tommy Ford as Bay County sheriff.
Ford, 47, of Lynn Haven, has served in law enforcement for 22 years and currently is chief deputy of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
He got his bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
He’ll serve as appointed sheriff from Aug. 1 to Jan. 2, 2017.
Ford takes the place of retiring Sheriff Frank McKeithen.
After January, Ford becomes elected sheriff; he was elected automatically to the post after no other candidate qualified to run, according to WJHG.com.
