Husband sworn in as District 2 commissioner

At a Monday morning special meeting, county officials and members of the public gathered to witness the end of an eight-month vacancy on the Gulf County Board of County Commissioners.

There, County Commissioner Lloyd “Jack” Husband III took his oath of office before Judge Tim McFarland and the Gulf County community, promising to support, protect and defend the constitution and government of the United States, the State of Florida and Gulf County, Florida.

Three days earlier, Gov. Ron DeSantis named Husband as the replacement for County Commissioner Billy Traylor, who died shortly after being elected in November of last year.

Husband was selected from a pool of qualified applicants, who have thrown their names in the ring for consideration over the last half year.

“I wanted to have good representation in District 2, and I felt like I could provide that,” Husband said of why he decided to apply for the gubernatorial appointment. “ I will give every ounce of energy that I have to it. I mean, I also have a normal job, but everything we do we try to execute perfectly, so that’s the way I’m hoping to operate here.”

Husband, the president of Southeastern Consulting Engineers, Inc. and the current engineer for the City of Wewahitchka, will serve the remainder of Traylor’s term as the District 2 commissioner, which is four years. In November 2026, he will have to run for reelection should he wish to keep the seat.

Husband currently serves on the Gulf County Economic Development Administration and is a previous member of the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce. He earned his associate degree from Gulf Coast State College and his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Florida State University.

As a lifelong resident of Wewahitchka, Husband said he feels confident in his ability to represent the city’s needs.

“I’d like to get my feet wet,” he said, “and kind of get in and see what’s going on.”

“This district hasn’t had representation in a while… so, I really want to put it out there to get phone calls and try to see where all the constituents’ wants and needs are and try to facilitate where we can to take care of the most important ones.”

As the commissioner for Gulf County’s District 2, Husband has been appointed to represent citizens living from the Beacon Hill area to the western side of Wewahitchka.

“I’m just very appreciative of the selection and look forward to getting to work,” Husband said during his swearing-in meeting.

Neves Publishing reporter David Adlerstein also contributed to this report.