Dave Kerner

Dave Kerner
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 87th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 20, 2012
Preceded by Bill Hager
Personal details
Born August 24, 1983
Palm Beach County, Florida
Political party Democratic
Alma mater University of Florida (B.A.) (J.D.)
Profession Attorney, police officer

Dave Kerner (born August 24, 1983) is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 87th District, which includes Lake Worth, Palm Springs, and West Palm Beach in eastern Palm Beach County, since 2012.

Early life, education, and career

Kerner was born in unincorporated Palm Beach County, and attended Suncoast Community High School, where he graduated in 2002. Afterwards, he moved to Gainesville, where he attended the University of Florida, graduating with a degree in political science in 2006. While receiving his undergraduate degree, he attended Santa Fe Community College, where he received his certification as a police officer in 2004, and then worked as a police officer in Alachua from 2004 to 2007. Kerner was named "Police Officer of the Year" in 2006 and served as the Department Representative to the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 62. Kerner then attended the University of Florida College of Law, graduating with his law degree in 2010. While in law school, and until his election to the Florida House of Representatives, he served as a part-time police officer with the Florida Wildlife Commission. Upon becoming a member of the Florida Bar, he was selected to serve as a special prosecutor for the Palm Beach County State's Attorney. He then began work as a civil ligitation attorney for Schuler, Halvorson, Weisser, & Zoeller, P.A., where he practices wrongful death, personal injury, and class action law for plaintiffs.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, after the Florida House of Representatives districts were redrawn, Kerner opted to run in the newly created 87th District. He faced Mike Rios in the Democratic primary, whom he easily defeated with 68% of the vote. Kerner was unopposed in the general election, and was sworn into his first term.

While serving in the legislature, Kerner sponsored legislation that aimed to "stem prostitution and human sex trafficking"[1] in the state's massage parlors, which are being used in some instances as fronts for illegal activity, by making it "a first degree misdemeanor for a person to operate a massage establishment between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. and to use the massage business as a domicile."[2] He also authored legislation with State Senator Joseph Abruzzo that would "sever the parental rights of a rapist if a child is conceived as a result of the attack,"[3] as, in some cases, rapists could sue for custody of children that were the products of the rapes that they committed.

In addition, he also sponsored the "Timely Justice Act," which speeds up executions for inmates on death row.[4] Specifically, the law requires the governor to sign a death warrant for a defendant within 30 days of a review of a capital conviction by the State Supreme Court, and the state is required carry out the execution within 180 days of the warrant.[5]

Kerner was re-elected to his second term in the legislature in 2014 without opposition.

References

  1. ↑ Francilus, Joey (January 24, 2013). "Massage Parlor Curfew: Rep. Dave Kerner Sponsors Florida Bill Targeted To Stop Human Trafficking". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ Koff, Rochelle (April 17, 2013). "House passes restrictions on massage businesses suspected of sex trafficking". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ Koff, Rochelle (April 30, 2013). "Bill to sever parental rights of rapists ready for governor". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ Palombo, Jessica (April 25, 2013). "Fla. House Passes 'Timely Justice Act' To Cut Death Row Wait Time". WFSU-TV. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Grotesque Speed for Florida Capital Cases". The New York Times. May 14, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2014.

External links