Reply #37: Broward County [View All]

[ringmastery]

Short Bio:

ATTORNEY GENERAL BOB BUTTERWORTHRobert A. "Bob" Butterworth was elected Florida's 33rd attorney general in 1986,following nearly two decades of service as a prosecutor, judge, sheriff and mayor. He was re-elected attorney general in 1990, 1994 and 1998.He was born August 20, 1942, in Passaic, New Jersey, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A.Butterworth, Sr. As a young child, he and his family moved to Broward County, where heattended school.Butterworth earned a degree in business administration with a major in accounting in1965 from the University of Florida. In 1969, he received a juris doctorate from the Universityof Miami Law School followed by advanced studies in international law. He served as anadjunct professor for Nova University's Graduate School of Criminal Law from June 1976 untilDecember 1978.After his admittance to The Florida Bar, he was an assistant state attorney in DadeCounty. As an attorney for the Broward County Sheriffs Office in 1972-73, Butterworth wasone of the nation's first police legal advisors to work directly with officers on the street. Thispilot project was later expanded nationally by the federal government.During 1973-74, Butterworth was part of a team of prosecutors in Broward County thatgained widespread recognition for its successful crack-down on local political corruption and thesouth Florida underworld.From 1974 to 1978, he served first as a Broward County judge until Governor ReubinAskew appointed him circuit court judge. He was subsequently elected without opposition.On December 21, 1978, Governor Askew appointed him sheriff of Broward County.Broward citizens subsequently elected Butterworth to that office by one of the widest margins incounty history. While sheriff, he gained international attention for sending his deputies into theCaribbean in pursuit of drug runners.In 1982, Governor Bob Graham and the Cabinet appointed Butterworth director of theDepartment of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which includes the Florida Highway Patrol.Butterworth pioneered FHP's highly successful drug interdiction program, developed one of thenation's first formal driver license fraud detection programs and formed an elite team of "supertroopers" to uncover drug runners.Governor Graham again turned to Butterworth in 1984 and appointed him mayor ofSunrise. He then returned to the private practice of law until his election as attorney general.Butterworth and his wife, Marta Prado, a health care executive, have two children: a son,Brandon, and daughter, BreAnne.