Broward County on Tuesday made history after electing a new State Attorney for the first time in 44 years. Voters elected Democrat Harold Pryor to serve in this post, making him the first Black person to do so.
With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Pryor beat his Republican challenger Gregg Rossman, 64% to 36%.
Current Broward State Attorney Mike Satz, who has held the position for more than four decades (beginning during Gerald Ford’s presidency), decided to leave the top prosecutor’s job earlier this year.
Satz sent his successor a message on Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Harold! I have known him for many years and he used to work for the office. Everybody here will do everything we can to make his transition as easy and smooth as possible. We will do everything we can to help him.”
The Broward State Attorney’s Office has a four-year term.
Pryor initially worked for the state attorney’s office before going into private practice.
He served as an Assistant State Attorney with the Office of the State Attorney in and for the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida, prosecuting serious criminal offenses in the Felony Trial Unit.
After serving as a prosecutor, he served as president of the historic T.J. Reddick Bar Association, Broward County’s black bar association. He was instrumental in convincing the Broward County Commission to rename the North Wing of the courthouse after Judge Thomas J. Reddick, Jr., Broward County’s first African-American to serve on the Bench.
Pryor is also the first Black male state attorney in the entire state of Florida.
