Broward's Top Prosecutor Won't Seek Re-Election In 2020

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Broward State Attorney Mike Satz, who first won election during America's Bicentennial year, announced Tuesday that he will not seek a 12th term in 2020 primarily so that he can focus his attention on the prosecution of the accused Parkland school shooter.

The 76-year-old Satz, who is the longest-serving prosecutor in Florida and one of the longest serving elected prosecutors in the United States, made the announcement as Broward sheriff's deputies search for murder suspect Eric Vail who was mistakenly released from jail last week during an apparent miscommunication between the Broward State Attorney's Office and the sheriff's office.

Neither agency has accepted responsibility for the mistake. The State Attorney's Office blames the sheriff's office. Vail's charge was upgraded from second-degree murder to first-degree murder as a lesser charge of second-degree murder was dropped.

"The defendant was taken to court by the sheriff’s office on the first-degree murder charge on Thursday, so it’s hard to know how the sheriff’s office didn’t know about the first-degree murder charge," said a statement from the Broward State Attorney's Office.

Satz said the most pressing reason for not seeking re-election was to give himself more time to focus on prosecuting the horrific school shooting that resulted in the murders of 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the attempted murders of 17 others on Valentine’s Day in 2018.

First elected in 1976, Satz will have served 44 years in the job when his current term ends. He filed a notice last year of his intent to seek the death penalty in the Parkland case.

“This has been an extremely difficult decision for me. I have been doing this job for more than half my life and I have more than a year and a half left before this term ends," said Satz, who is personally prosecuting the Parkland case. "However, I feel it is important to announce my decision now, so I can continue to focus on the Parkland case and give a qualified candidate enough time to put forth their campaign for office.”

He has told colleagues that the demands of preparing for the trial, scheduled to start in January, take precedence over campaigning for election.

A recent trip to Italy also rekindled his desire to travel, according to the State Attorney's Office. An avid skier, Satz has not found time to ski in four years because of the demands of office.

“I am definitely not retiring,” Satz insisted. “When the Parkland case is concluded, I am going to explore some other professional opportunities that I put aside in the past, that will challenge me and give me some time to travel and help me with my bucket list.”

A native of Philadelphia, Satz graduated from Temple University and the University of Miami’s School of Law. He was hired as a state prosecutor in Broward County upon his graduation and later promoted to chief of the homicide unit within several years. He held that job for four years and then ran for state attorney, replacing then Broward State Attorney Phil Shailer, who decided not to seek re-election.

“I always want to do the right thing for the right reason,” Satz said. “My priorities have been to help to keep this community as safe as possible, to combat violent crime and to address public corruption. At the same time, our office has worked to help people facing less serious charges, especially young people, to stay out of jail by introducing and supporting effective community programs.”

Satz has personally tried almost every person accused of killing a police officer in Broward County during his career, including a 22-month trial of three men convicted of murdering Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Tephford in 2018. All three were sentenced to life in prison.

Satz also handled the death penalty case of Gerhard Hojan, who was sentenced to death last year for the 2002 murders of two employees of a Davie Waffle House restaurant. The two murder victims and a third woman, who survived, were forced into a walk-in freezer at the restaurant where they were shot. Hojan shot them to prevent them from testifying against him.

Satz leads a staff of 511 employees, including more than 212 prosecutors. A total of 74 of his former assistant state attorneys have gone on to become federal and state judges, according to the State Attorney's Office.