Bay County Sheriff backs Griff Griffitts in HD 6 race

Philip "Griff" Griffitts

With just six weeks to go until the Primary Election, Republican House District 6 contender Griff Griffitts picked up an endorsement from longtime Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford.

“I have stood with Griff Griffitts during and after a category 5 hurricane, a pandemic, and most recently, major fires,” Ford said in a statement.

“Griff has always made sure that law enforcement has the tools we need to keep our communities safe and has made sure our first responders are never looked over during budget discussions. He is a man of his word, a trusted, proven leader, and in my opinion, Griff is ready to continue working for Bay County on Day 1.”

Ford, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Rick Scott, has been with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office since 2009. Before that, he spent 18 years with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“I am proud to have the endorsement of Sheriff Ford,” Griffitts said in a statement. “Keeping our communities safe has always been one of my top priorities. As your next State Representative, I will continue to stand with Gov. (Ron) DeSantis to stop Joe Biden from shipping illegal immigrants to Florida, and to keep our local streets free from the lawlessness that we have seen in liberal-led cities across the country.”

Griffitts is running for the HD 6 seat left vacant by outgoing Rep. Jay Trumbull, who is running for state Senate.

The current Bay County Commissioner raised more than $26,000 in the month of June, including $1,000 contributions from Anheuser Busch and Associated Builders and Contractors.

The Griffitts campaign spent more than $20,000 in June. Much of it went to consulting firms The Front Line Agency, Capital Resources LLC and LAT30 Strategic Partners. Griffitts also shelled out $7,751 to Panama City consultant Arthur Cullen on June 29. The campaign has about $225,000 cash on hand.

Griffitts has also been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. With support from law enforcement and elected state officials, Griffitts is heavily favored to win the Republican-leaning district that covers Bay County.

His opponent, Brian Clowdus, raised only $3,800 in June and spent just $193.40, all of it going to a fundraising payment processing service.

Clowdus, an Alabama native, moved to the Panhandle area in 2020. He quickly became involved in politics, knocking on doors in support of former Republican President Donald Trump.

No Democrats filed to run for the HD 6 seat, so the Aug. 23 Primary Election will be a winner-take-all contest.