Dave Hood Jr.

Charles David Hood Jr. (April 24, 1954 – March 15, 2019) was a Republican politician who served as a judge on the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida.

He won the nomination of the Republican Party unopposed, and easily defeated independent candidate Christina Spencer-Kephart in the general election, winning 61% of the vote.

During the 2012–2014 legislative session, Hood supported legislation proposed by Katie Edwards that gives judges more leniency when determining sentences for drug offenders, saying, "We're only talking about the first offenders, non-violent, no prior history, and what we're doing is putting the discretion in the one person in the courtroom...the impartial observer: the judge.

[4] However, when Judge David B. Beck decided to retire from the bench, Governor Rick Scott appointed Hood to replace him on the Seventh Circuit.

[5] Hood ended his campaign against Orfinger, and on September 30, 2014, following his appointment to the bench, he resigned from the legislature.