Okaloosa Picks New Jail Boss

You could easily mistake the Department Director of the Okaloosa County Jail role with the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry due to the amount of turnover the position has seen in the last decade.

In the last seven years, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners has hired four Directors to lead the department.

Their latest leader, John Moring, was unanimously confirmed by a vote of the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday morning.

The Former Walton County Sheriff’s Deputy has thirty years of experience in Walton County – 13 years with the state and another 17 years with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office – the organization that runs the jail in Walton County.

While at the jail, Moring helped to develop various rehabilitation programs, according to Okaloosa County Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey.

Coffey, who will act as Moring’s immediate supervisor, says that the new jail boss appeared on Okaloosa County’s radar two years ago – when he served on the board to design the future Okaloosa County Jail. The Current Okaloosa County Jail was created to house roughly the same number of inmates as the Walton County Jail, about 600. Okaloosa County has about three times the number of residents of Walton County. The number of incarcerated people in the jail can swell to almost 900 during the summer months when more arrests are made in our area.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Moring said to the assembled board, “I’m excited for the opportunity in Okaloosa County. Just in preliminary meetings with jail staff, I think it’s going to be a smooth transition.”

Commissioners voiced support for Moring, who beat out 30 candidates for the job through two rounds of interviews. “Your resume is going to be respected by all of our colleagues because you bring such a depth of experience. So, welcome aboard,” Okaloosa County District 2 Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel said to Moring.

Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon added that Moring had come recommended from the jail director’s now-former boss – Sheriff Mike Adkinson. “You did some great things next door [in Walton County] – I’m excited for you to work with the tremendous staff they have at our jail. I’m glad I can say I don’t believe you are coming into a mess. I believe you are coming into a staff that’s dedicated to the people of Okaloosa County and the one’s we have temporary watch over.”