Pinellas-Pasco Judge | 6th Circuit, Group 8

Winner: Susan L. Gardner, Robert Angus Williams, Runoff

Retiring Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb has spent 31 years on the Dade City bench. That’s more years than the combined legal experience of the three attorneys vying to replace him. Kenneth L. Foote is a former prosecutor now in private practice in Port Richey. Susan L. Gardner is an assistant public defender in New Port Richey. Robert Angus Williams is a Tampa civil attorney who lives and practices in the circuit. He does land work for one of Florida’s best-known firms, Fowler White.

	Kenneth L. Foote, 42	Susan L. Gardner, 46	Robert Angus Williams, 38
Experience	He started and ran his own funeral home in New York before returning to college. He got his law degree at Stetson in 1999. That year he won best attorney in the American Bar Association’s criminal trial competition. He joined the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office and worked in the Clearwater office until 2003. Then he worked for a West Palm Beach firm before returning to the area to open his own practice in Port Richey, where he does both criminal defense and civil litigation. He has been involved in more than 50 jury trials as a prosecutor and defense attorney. As a prosecutor he specialized in child abuse cases. He was promoted to lead trial attorney at the State Attorney’s Office and supervised and taught new attorneys in his division. He also served as an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College’s police academy.	As a single mother, she raised three sons while attending college and law school. While she was a law student she served as an ombudsman for the state, inspecting nursing homes and assisted living facilities. After graduation she worked as a partner at her father’s law firm until 2006, when she joined the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender’s Office. Currently assigned to the New Port Richey office, she was named Pasco County Public Defender of the Year in 2007. She has taken part in 16 felony and misdemeanor jury trials. She had done pro bono work in the community and with the Clearwater Courthouse Legal Aid Project. At Stetson’s law school she won the William Blews Pro Bono Award in 1999. She spent a decade as a Sunday school teacher and raises livestock at home in Hudson. Since 2000, she has been a member of American Mensa.	A longtime board member of the Pasco Building Association Inc., he represents builders and developers for the Tampa firm of Fowler White Boggs Banker P.A. He won the Victor O. Wehle Award for trial advocacy and the Walter Mann Award for leadership in 1995 at Stetson’s law school. That was his first year as a prosecutor with the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office. He spent four years there and took part in 30 felony and misdemeanor jury trials. In private practice he was involved in several bench trials. Most of his current practice is representing builders, developers, businesses and local governments in zoning, regional impact and permitting issues in Pasco and Pinellas. He also handles environmental permitting issues before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Southwest Florida Water Management District. He lives in Palm Harbor.
Opinions on experience	“My pitch is this: experience. The voters are trying to elect a circuit judge, which means their work room is going to be the courtroom. Let’s look at the candidates and see who has the experience to be in a courtroom. I have more jury trial experience than both my opponents combined. I’m the only candidate that has practiced on both sides of the law, criminal prosecution and criminal defense, and in the civil world, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. This experience will give me the ability to be fair and impartial to all parties.”	“A judge must know the law, as it is written, and must be willing to make decisions based on the law, never on personal opinion or concerns of popularity. If elected, I would utilize my professional training and life experience, as well as my natural ability and even temperament, to benefit the judiciary and all who come before it. Hard work and dedication are no strangers to me, having raised my three sons on my own while I worked my way through college and law school.”	“I’ve been involved in both criminal and civil matters. I’ve also, on occasion, handled criminal matters for private clients accused of wrongdoing. The years I’ve had practicing law have given me a very broad base of experience to draw on. I think that everybody has their place in society. After much soul searching, I firmly believe that this is mine.”
Education	Law degree, Stetson University College of Law, 1999. Undergraduate degree, St. John’s University, 1997.	Law degree, Stetson University College of Law, 1999. Undergraduate degree, University of South Florida, 1996.	Law degree, Stetson University College of Law, 1995. Undergraduate degree, University of Florida, 1991.
Why they are the best candidate	A lawsuit against his old funeral home sparked Foote’s interest in the law. “I recalled the fear and intimidation I experienced in the courtroom . . . I realized that the average person when thrust into the legal system will experience many of the emotions I felt. As such, my goal as an attorney has always been the education of lay persons who find themselves involved in the court system.”	“I am seeking this office because I have always been dedicated to serving my community, and I am willing to answer to the challenges and personal sacrifices faced by a circuit court judge. I believe a great judge must be qualified and honorable, must be willing to work hard, must be fair and courteous, and possess a lion’s share of common sense.”	“When people appear in court, it is probably one of the 10 most important things that ever happens in their lives. They deserve to have a judge that understands that, understands they’re entitled to due process and understands how important those days in court are. You don’t go to court on a whim. You go there because something serious needs to be handled, and I understand that.”
Assets	Home, practice, car	Home, land, two vehicles, checking account	Home, checking account, mutual funds, money market
Liabilities	Mortgage, student loan, car loan	Mortgage, student loan	Mortgage
Source of income	Business salary	Salary	Salary
Net worth	$59,000	-$84,000	$410,000
Personal	He is divorced and has four children	She is a divorced mother of three sons.	He and his wife, Amber, have two young children.
Web site	Yes	Yes	Yes
E-mail	Yes	Yes	Yes

About the job: Circuit judges are elected on a nonpartisan basis to a six-year term. They preside over criminal and civil cases in Pinellas and Pasco counties. They might handle felony criminal charges, family law, juvenile cases and lawsuits seeking more than $15,000 in damages. The circuit’s chief judge determines in which county the judge will serve. The job pays $145,080 per year.