PANAMA CITY − Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford says it’s an honor to be recognized by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In a press release on Wednesday, DeSantis’ office announced the governor had reappointed Ford to the State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, an organization that oversees the transfer of people on probation between states.

Ford has served on the council for about three years.

“The governor is the chief executive officer of the state, (so him) selecting me for anything is an honor,” he said. “There’s 67 sheriffs (in Florida), and many of them serve on many important commissions. I appreciate the opportunity to do it, but also appreciate the fact that the legislature, when creating these bodies to make decisions that affect us here locally, include the input of sheriffs and other elected officials.”

This is one of a few state positions held by Ford, who has been sheriff of Bay County since 2016.

He also is chairman of the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, which sets training standards for law enforcement and correctional officers across the state; and co-chairman of the Northwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force, which coordinates help to sheriff’s offices during emergencies.

In addition to these roles, Ford is a member of the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center board of directors.

More on Sheriff Ford: ‘An honor’: Bay Sheriff Tommy Ford wins LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award

About a month ago, Ford was announced as the winner of the 2023 LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award. He was nominated by Gulf Coast State College. The award, presented by the Association of Florida Colleges, is given to those who have attended a state college and make exceptional impacts at the local, state and national levels.

“I think one of my jobs is to represent Bay County at a state level on public safety issues,” Ford said. “It’s important to be involved and use my experience (and the) issues that we face in Bay County to help influence statewide policies, statewide legislation (and) statewide preparedness.

“I think I’ve been able to lend my experience to that, (and) I think it’s also been very beneficial to operations at the sheriff’s office.”

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford reappointed to state council