Bay County’s newest prosecutor is a born-and-raised east coast Floridian with a desire to provide compassion and justice – and enjoy the family atmosphere and variety of outdoor activities the area provides.
Jada Watkins, 24, was born and raised in Melbourne She is familiar with Florida’s beaches along the Atlantic coast.
But a Spring Break trip here when she was an undergraduate at Florida State University stuck with her. After graduating from the Barry University School of Law and passing the Florida Bar, she decided her next move would keep her in Florida and near the beaches – with a bonus.
“I was somewhat familiar with the Panhandle and its beautiful beaches, and I knew I wanted to work ‘back up north’ because I loved my time in Tallahassee,” she said. “This is just a perfect environment for me because it has the beaches, and as an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast the trails here are wonderful.”
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Watkins said those attributes were a bonus to what she discovered during her application and interview process: “This office was the one gracious enough to have me come out and meet everyone before I even accepted the job. That was one of the main reasons I accepted the job, the hospitality I was shown and how welcome everyone was when I came here.
“I felt like I was already part of the family before I even joined it.”
Watkins’ goal is to make a positive impact on the community and learn.
“I want to embrace this job understanding that everyone deserves individual attention, every case is different,” she said. “I wanted to be somewhere where I felt included and where I could learn and would get guidance and support. And this is where I felt I could get that.”
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas atmike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850–381–7454.