Jason Coody tapped as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. Attorney Jason Coody will remain at the helm of the Northern District of Florida. 

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped Coody to stay on the job on Dec. 26. The Northern District announced the appointment Tuesday. 

“It is an honor to serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida and work every day to keep our communities safe,” Coody said in a statement. “I am privileged to serve with an incredibly talented team of professionals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and exceptional local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, who are all dedicated to the mission of justice.”

Coody first took lead of the Northern District after President Joe Biden forced then-U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe — an appointee of former President Donald Trump — to resign. 

Keefe now serves as Florida’s Public Safety Czar, a position created by Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee illegal immigration issues. 

The Northern District of Florida is a large, sprawling jurisdiction. It spans 23 counties, reaching as far west as Panama City and as far south as Gainesville. 

The Federal Judicial Nomination Commission in September named Winifred Acosta and Rod Smith as finalists for the leadership position. Acosta is a criminal appeals attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee. Smith, meanwhile, is a former lawmaker and state prosecutor from Gainesville. 

A career prosecutor, Coody joined the Department of Justice in 2005 and has since risen through the ranks. The Valdosta State University and Washburn University Law graduate has prosecuted an array of offenses including white-collar crime, murder for hire, domestic violence and sex crimes. He began his career as a prosecutor in Kansas. 

Before law school, Coody served as a police officer with the Valdosta Police Department. He served as both a patrolman and a detective during his law enforcement career.

Biden is expected to announce a nomination in the near future.