Florida State Rep. Patt Maney, right, pictured with his wife, Caroline Maney, and former Okaloosa County Court Head of Maintenance William James, who started the award nomination process in 2017. “I’ve lived many blessed years, devoted my entire life to service, and this may be my highest honor,” Maney said when receiving the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. 

Republican Rep. Patt Maney, a retired brigadier general and former Okaloosa County judge, received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) during a National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) court of honor, hosted by Scouting America’s Gulf Coast Council.

The DESA is NESA’s highest honor for Eagle Scouts and, out of 2.7 million Eagle Scout recipients, has only been awarded to an estimated 2,500 individuals in 55 years.