Dave Bautista Receives Honorary Deputy Sheriff Distinction In Florida

The wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista can now add “honorary deputy sheriff” to his hyphenates.

Taking to Instagram prior to the weekend, the Guardians of the Galaxy star revealed he was bestowed the distinction in his current residence of Hillsborough County, Fla., which encompasses the city of Tampa that he’s lived in for the past two decades.

“I didn’t see that one coming either. ��*♂️��,” he wrote in the caption alongside a photo of a selfie holding up the badge and ID.

Bautista also shouted out WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in the post, writing, “Big love and thanks to my brother @titusoneilwwe and Sheriff @Chadchronister for the honor and for everything you do for this community. Appreciate you both. Tampa’s held a special place in my heart ever since I moved here 20 years ago. Always has. Always will.”

O’Neil responded in the comments, saying, “Love you brother,” alongside a red heart emoji. Meanwhile, fellow actor and Tampa resident Brittany Snow added, “I’m very proud of you & grateful. ILY.”

In 2022, he opened DC Society Ink, a tattoo studio on Tampa’s Kennedy Boulevard outside downtown. “It has a double meaning,” he said of the venture’s name. “I’m from Washington DC, but Dream Chaser is my moniker … to a lot of people, it might sound hokey, but I live by it, but you chase your dreams no matter what, no matter what people tell you, you chase your dreams.”

The Dune: Part Two actor rose to fame with multiple stints in the WWE beginning in the early 2000s. He has a busy slate coming up after being announced as leading sci-fi thriller Dreadnought, signing with WME, starring in a wedding sting comedy opposite Anne Hathaway and joining Cate Blanchett in Alpha Gang.