William “Bud” Hallman III stands 6-feet-2-inches tall, lives on a sprawling 20 acres, and has the large, callused hands of a native Floridian cowboy.
He’s at home on the wide, open range, having been raised in a cattle-ranching family whose ancestors were among the early pioneers to Florida in the 1830s. It’s the pull of these roots that lured the 56-year-old judge, 15 years after quitting the sport of rodeo, to return to it, even while enmeshed in a completely new career.
By day, the Webster resident oversees the felony docket as one of two circuit judges in Sumter County. He retired from the rodeo at age 40. But last year, he made his comeback, following a visit to a friend’s local steer wrestling school.
Hallman has competed in events around Ocala and all over the state. Over Labor Day weekend, he made his fifth trip to the Dodge Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo in Davie, winning the steer wrestling event. In April, he’s headed to the National Circuit Finals in Pocatello, Idaho, where the winner’s purse can reach $100,000.
“Having that background and being that ranch cowboy, you miss all that,” Hallman said recently from his Webster home, where a large dirt pit is used for training. “The practice of law is an entirely different world. I was missing it.” (read more)
