For the next 12 years Bell served on the bench and in other capacities within the community, and was consequently appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Former Governor Bush in December 2002, took office January 2003, and labored forward with distinction as the first Justice to be returned from the Pensacola area in a century.

As a man of humility and deep faith in God, you have served as a role model of personal and professional integrity on the bench.

"[4] On May 23, 2008, Bell announced that he would resign from the supreme court on October 1, 2008, which he hoped would allow the "constitutional mechanism" enough time to find a suitable replacement.

However, similar to the reasons recently expressed by Justice Raoul Cantero in his resignation, my family responsibilities require that I return full-time to Pensacola."

However, in June 2014, Bell left Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse and became a shareholder with the Gunster, a law firm based out of South Florida.