Judge planning to
leave office Feb. 29
by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com
BRISTOL, FL – Longtime Liberty County Judge Ken Hosford announced his retirement this morning after more than 27 years in office.
Noting that he will be turning 67 this May, he said had previously given thought to retiring this year and said he made his decision to do so last Thursday. His last day will be Feb. 29.
Calling it an honor and a privilege to serve the county, the judge said, “I have always sought to fashion the best possible solutions to problems, within the boundaries of the law, for all who come before me.”
He said he was proud that during his long career, he had never been reversed on appeal as Liberty County Judge.
The judge came under fire last year after an admittedly ex parte conversation he had last June 15 with a prosecutor following a Zoom court hearing. Hosford questioned the prosector after a decision was made not to file charges in a theft case a day after the judge had approved an arrest warrant.
“During the Zoom meeting, while addressing his displeasure with the way the prosecutor had declined to prosecute the case, Judge Hosford also admits to having provided investigative advice to the detective investigating the crime, including suggesting to the detective that he might get a search warrant to obtain more evidence of the crime,” according to findings from the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission.
The Commission also noted that the judge “made other comments clearly evincing a bias in favor of law enforcement.”
Hosford readily admitted that after the Zoom meeting ended, he realized that he had “crossed the line” by speaking without the defense attorney present. He said he then called to self-report the incident but noted that at that point, “there was essentially no case and no one had been charged.”
He also said, “The accusation that I’m pro law enforcement is not really true. I’m pro rule of law, which protects the accused yet also holds them accountable.”
Earlier in the year he drew criticism for setting bond for undocumented drivers traveling without a license or any valid identification, including three cases where drivers on SR 20 were going well over 100 mph through Liberty County. He said his goal was to treat non-citizens the same as the people who live here.
His office is up for election this year. So far, two candidates – Jennifer Shuler and Jackson Summers – have filed their papers to seek the job.
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