Why I’m Running for State Attorney
In my job, I deal with many of the offices and dedicated employees at the State Attorney’s office every day. Right off the bat, I do want to say that the current Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office is doing some great work, but, as with most government offices, there is always need for, and room for, improvement.
I strongly believe that, as an expert trial attorney and experienced trainer of prosecutors, I have the skills, knowledge and best ideas to improve the State Prosecutor’s office.
As the fourth largest county in Florida, Palm Beach County has its fair share of criminal activity. The primary role of the State Attorney is to serve as the prosecutor, representing the People of Florida in the criminal courts. Another role of the State Attorney is to help prevent crime from happening. Of course, when crime does happen, the People of Florida demand and deserve swift Justice. But Justice for All is not just about prosecuting.
As a large County, we see that Mental Health Issues often contribute to drug addiction and crime. Oftentimes, people we may know or who might be in our own families or our neighborhoods turn to drugs to cope with underlying mental health issues like depression or trauma. I myself have lost friends and relatives to drugs and addiction. The State Attorney’s Office should be a strong county-wide partner with law enforcement, health care providers, non-profits, the school system, houses of worship and others, to help improve our early intervention efforts and decrease the negative consequences, like homelessness and the crime rate. I’ll be talking a lot during the campaign about my ideas for improvement in this area, including expanding the availabilty of the Drug Court, which currently only operates during weekday business hours. People trying to hold a job and better themselves need more options, like a weeknight or even weekend Drug Court hours.
When elected, I will also work with community leaders and organizations to find the funding need to re-institue both the Drug Farm and the Eagle Academy, proven successful weapons against drug abuse and recidivism.
I also will be talking about another area of need in our County, and that’s fraud against our large and growing Senior Citizens community. Fraud is the most common form of Elder Abuse, impacting many of our seniors. The National Council on Aging estimates that older Americans lose 2.9 Billion dollars yearly to financial scams and fraud. We must do a better job of protecting Senior Citizens, and all County residents, from fraud and work to prevent, identify and solve these crimes. Sometimes family or advisers take financial advantage. More often, we all get the spam text messages about account passwords, fake package delivery, and sweepstakes wins. The Federal Trade Commission reports that people over 60 are more likely to be scammed, and they often are embarrassed to come forward as victims. We need to better educate and advocate for our Senior Citizens so that they are not taken advantage of.
Those are just a few of the issues and opportunities my campaign will be talking about in coming months leading up to the Election in August of 2024. I truly appreciate your support as we kick-off this new chapter in Palm Beach County. Please feel free to call my cell phone with any questions you might have about this important election, you can reach me at 561-657-3363.