APALACHICOLA, Fla. (WCTV) – Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Tony Smith intends to run for a congressional seat left open by the retiring representative, Dr. Neal Dunn, Smith confirmed Friday.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s running as a Republican. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe district needs somebody who\u2019s going to take their phone calls, the constituents\u2019 phone calls, handle these issues that are so important, you know, drug addiction, mental health are big issues, and, I think a sheriff has the knowledge, experience to deal with those kind of issues,\u201d said Smith during a phone call with WCTV.<\/p>\n
As of Friday afternoon, Smith had not yet filed for the position.<\/p>\n
More News out of the Big Bend<\/p>\n
Smith has served as Franklin County\u2019s Sheriff for three consecutive terms, dating back to 2016. Prior to that, he worked at the Leon and Walton County Sheriff\u2019s Office, as well as other state-level positions in the Division of State Fire Marshal and the Florida Department of Business\u202fand Professional Regulation, according to his profile on the Florida Sheriffs Association website<\/a>. <\/p>\n The news comes after Representative Dunn announced on January 13 that he would be withdrawing his re-election bid<\/a>, ending his five-term stint in Congress.<\/p>\n Sheriff Smith joins a growing field of candidates vying for the soon-to-be-open seat.<\/p>\n On the Republican side, Florida GOP Chair Evan Power, Keith Gross, and Nick Lewis have all filed to replace Dunn. <\/p>\n On the Democrat side, attorney Yen Bailey, Amanda Green and Nicholas Zateslo have also filed to replace the outgoing Representative. <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n