William Jonas Montford III (born August 22, 1947) is an American Democratic politician from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. He served in the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 2010 to 2020, representing parts of the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

around

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

. Previously, he served on the Leon County Commission and as Leon County superintendent of schools.

Background

Montford was born in

Marianna, Florida Marianna is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Florida, United States, and it is home to Chipola College, part of the state's public system. The official nickname of Marianna is "The City of Southern Charm". The population was 6,24 ...

( Jackson County), raised in

Blountstown, Florida Blountstown is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Florida, Calhoun County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,266. Name Blountstown is named for John Blount, a Creek Indian chief who served ...

( Calhoun County), is an alumnus of

Chipola College Chipola College is a public college in Marianna, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History The school was founded in 1947 as Chipola Junior College; its name was changed in 2003 after the college developed sever ...

in Marianna, and received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. For the past four decades, Bill Montford has been actively engaged in public education in Leon County and the Big Bend area. Montford began his teaching career as a math teacher at Belle Vue Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida in 1969 and went on to serve as a school administrator for 26 years, including seven years as an assistant principal and 18 years as a high school principal at Godby High School and Lincoln High School. In 1982, Montford successfully ran for Leon County Commission serving two consecutive terms. He ran for Superintendent of

Leon County Schools Leon County Schools (LCS) is a school district headquartered in the LCS Admin Complex in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is the sole school district of Leon County. History Prior to November 2004 the school district allowed parents ...

in 1996. Montford serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS). In 2016, the Council of Florida College Presidents awarded him the Dr. James L. Wattenbarger Award for "his lifelong service to education". Montford's wife Jane is a first-grade teacher in Leon County. They have two children, Bill IV and Katherine, and five grandchildren.

Senate career

In 2010, Montford was elected to the Florida Senate from the 6th District, and was the Senate Minority Whip for 2010-2012. His district was renumbered the 3rd during redistricting in 2012. In 2016, he was re-elected with 67.4% of the vote over Republican challenger Nancy Miller. Montford stated that his priorities for the coming term would include education, “out-of-control testing," environmental protections, and a wage increase for state employees. Montford serves on local and statewide boards including the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Chairs the Chamber's Governmental Affair Committee; The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science;

Challenger Learning Center Challenger Center for Space Science Education is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capita ...

, the Florida Center for Performing Arts and Education, and The Village Square. He was appointed by Governor

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...

to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.

References

External links

billmontford.com

Official State Senate Website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Montford, Bill 1947 births Living people People from Marianna, Florida Politicians from Tallahassee, Florida Chipola College alumni Florida State University alumni American school administrators Democratic Party Florida state senators County commissioners in Florida 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature