St. Petersburg's newest police chief was sworn in on Wednesday.
The ceremony for Chief Anthony Holloway was held on the Eckerd College campus. Mayor Rick Kriseman passed on four finalists for the job and hand-picked Holloway last month.
Holloway, 52, was formerly the police chief in Clearwater.
In ending the search, which took more than six months, Kriseman said he is confident in Holloway's "ability to transform our department and to lead our force with integrity and moral authority."
The incoming chief has deep roots in the Bay area.
A Tampa native and Hillsborough High School graduate, Holloway earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg
Holloway joined the Clearwater Police Department in 1985 as a patrol officer. He accepted his first chief position in Somerville, Mass., in 2007 and returned to Clearwater in 2010 as the city's first black chief.
St. Petersburg has been without a permanent chief since January, when Chuck Harmon retired after 12 years.