2005 – Honorable Lou Frost

By almost any measure, Lou Frost’s career as the only elected public defender Duval County has ever known has been an extraordinary run. Lou was appointed by Governor Claude Kirk in 1968, and has run for that office ten times without opposition. His office has produced over 20 circuit and county judges, one justice of the Florida Supreme Court and two federal district judges. Two of the last four judges appointed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit came from Lou’s office.Lou graduated valedictorian of his Landon High School senior class. He attended the University of Florida as an undergraduate, and both the University of Miami and the University of Florida Law Schools, receiving his J. D. from Florida. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean Conflict as an artillery officer.Frost was one of the early members of the Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar. He served on the Executive Council for many years and chaired the Section in 1978. Lou also served for many years on the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee. He served on the original Sentencing Guidelines Commission in 1980-81. Mr. Frost shared in the creation and naming of the Life Over Death series of Conferences put on by the Florida Public Defenders Association of which he was president for the term 1971-72. He is now considered “the Dean” of Florida Public Defenders.In his nomination of Lou Frost, Bill White, Public Defender from Duval County., stated “I believe that Lou Frost exemplifies the highest qualities of a criminal defense attorney, a public defender and an elected official, his contributions to literally hundreds of young lawyers, and thus to the public and the bar, are immeasurable.”