Endorsement: Clear choices for 9th Circuit public defender, state attorney

It seems strange that Floridians elect people to perform jobs that require a high level of specialized expertise and an ethical mandate that, at times, commands these politicians to ignore politics. Yet Florida needs the men and women serving as state attorneys and public defenders — one each in Florida’s 20 judicial circuits — to have the courage to make tough decisions and stand by them.

That could include standing up to law enforcement agencies that cut corners or trample civil liberties. Or forcing innovation and efficiency into spaces that are too comfortable with old rituals.

In the 9th Judicial Circuit, covering Orange and Osceola counties, voters have shown a keen interest in leaders willing to seek out ways to stop a revolving door of crime, incarceration and poverty. Fortunately, they have good choices on the August ballot.

Ninth Circuit Public Defender

Florida’s public defenders are critical guardians of justice, serving as legal counsel to people charged with crimes who can’t afford their own lawyers. Melissa Vickers has been serving this community as an assistant public defender for 18 years, working her way up through the ranks quickly and eventually becoming second-in-command at the 9th Circuit office. It’s hard to imagine a better preparation for the top job — especially since so many of her former colleagues and retired judges, along with a who’s-who of local legal luminaries, speak glowingly of her tenure as an assistant public defender and later, private defense attorney.

These relationships will be essential if Vickers wants to improve matters at the public defender’s office — starting with the mammoth task of monitoring and mentoring dozens of attorneys. Her connections should also help her with needed improvements, such  as ensuring internet access for attorneys when they meet with clients in jail.  “I have been building relationships within the criminal justice and legal system for the last 23 years,” she told the Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board. “I’m able to work with judges when we have issues in the courtroom. I’m able to call across to the state attorney’s office and say, ‘Hi. We have a problem. How are we going to fix this?’ I’m able to talk to the corrections department, the sheriff. …  because they trust me. Because they know me.”

Her opponent, Lenora Easter , has a strong background in defense-law advocacy. Currently she serves as regional director of Partners for Justice,  a national organization dedicated to innovation in representation for indigent clients. Prior to that she worked with Bronx Defenders, developing a more collaborative model for criminal defense. She also carries the endorsement of current Public Defender Robert Wesley, who is retiring this year.

That raises the question: Why isn’t Wesley backing Vickers, an attorney whom he once trusted enough to name as his chief deputy? That backstory is complicated. Vickers announced her intention to resign in 2019, but her departure date leapt forward a few months after Wesley forced her to leave as a result of her sending “toxic,” profanity-laced messages that blasted Wesley and two other colleagues.  Five  years later, Vickers doesn’t mince words: “It was inappropriate, it was wrong and I shouldn’t have said those things,” she told a Sentinel reporter.

But it’s curious that Wesley – who now belittles Vickers as “devious” — kept promoting her. Prior to her forced resignation, the Sentinel couldn’t find another blemish in her personnel record, which was filled with positive performance reviews, and many of her former colleagues say she did an exemplary job. Her endorsements speak to her ability to collaborate respectfully and effectively with peers and subordinates. (Should she be elected, we’d suggest reaching out to Easter to see if she’d be interested in coming back to work at the 9th Circuit.)

We find it highly unlikely that the keen legal minds backing Vickers with glowing endorsements have been universally hoodwinked. “I can think of no candidate more qualified for this position than Melissa. She possesses the trial and managerial experience to immediately lead public defenders in the Ninth Circuit. I endorse her candidacy without hesitation,” former 9th Circuit Chief Judge Fred Lauten wrote in his endorsement.

The evidence here seems clear: Vickers has spent a lifetime preparing for this role, and she is ready to lead the Public Defender’s Office.

The Orlando Sentinel endorses Melissa Vickers for 9th Circuit Public Defender. Because the only candidates who qualified for the seat are Democrats, the August 20 primary is open to all voters regardless of party affiliation.

NInth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, Republican primary

This race has also seen more than its share of ginned-up controversy. In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis arbitrarily wrenched State Attorney Monique Worrell from office, accusing her of failing to prosecute serious crimes (based, as it turns out,  on numbers that were largely bogus). The winner of August’s Republican primary will face Worrell (a Democrat) as well as current State Attorney Andrew Bain, the non-party-affiliated former judge that DeSantis chose to take her place, in November.

The two candidates for the GOP nomination have to know they face long odds: Voter registration in the 9th Judicial Circuit heavily favors Democrats, and in the past two races they’ve opted for prosecutors who were open about their support for criminal-justice reform.

But Orange and Osceola Republicans have an interesting choice between two veteran attorneys, and it’s one they should take seriously. We give the edge to Thomas “Fighter” Feiter for a stubbornly independent streak that could make things interesting if DeSantis decides to meddle in this race (as he has hinted he might). But his opponent Seth Hyman would also be a solid, conservative-leaning choice. Both men have solid backgrounds that include time as prosecutors and private defense attorneys.

While Hyman is running on his promise to be everything Worrell and her predecessor Aramis Ayala are not — accusing them of “running on a platform of nonprosecution” — Feiter seems more open to the kinds of innovations that could help break the cycle of poverty, arrest and incarceration that have blighted so many lives, but failed to create a safer society. And he is adamant on holding the prosecutors who work for him to high ethical standards — which may be more of a dig at Hyman, who was fired by Ayala for what she claimed were repeated failures to turn over exculpatory evidence to the defense. (Hyman insists he did nothing wrong).

In a community that seems ready to consider justice reforms, Feiter seems to be a better fit.

The Sentinel endorses Thomas “Fighter” Feiter for the GOP primary for the 9th Judicial Circuit.

We urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and check out their campaign finances. In addition, we’ve recorded our interviews and posted them in full at OrlandoSentinel.com/opinion .

Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Insight Editor Jay Reddick and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.  Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com .