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Tampa Man Picked For U.S. Attorney

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By WILLIAM MARCH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

TAMPA - A. Brian Albritton of Tampa, a lawyer with Holland & Knight, has been nominated by the White House to become the new U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

The appointment could end a long and controversial vacancy in the office, which serves a 35-county district that contains more than half the state's population.

But it may be months before Albritton can take office: The appointment requires U.S. Senate approval, which isn't likely to come before fall.

Additionally, he might not serve long. U.S. attorneys are political appointees, and new presidents, particularly if they are of a different political party than their predecessor, often replace them.
Albritton said Tuesday that he wasn't concerned about that, however.

"This is a wonderful day," he said. "I'm delighted to have received the nomination. I really appreciate the two senators and the president and their consideration."

The Middle District, one of the nation's largest federal judicial districts, extends from the Georgia border in northeast Florida to south of Naples.

The post has been vacant since March 2007, when former U.S. Attorney Paul Perez resigned. Interim U.S. Attorney Robert E. O'Neill has been serving in the position but did not apply for permanent appointment to the post.

"He's a good guy, a gentleman; we're looking forward to it," O'Neill said of Albritton's nomination.

Florida's two U.S. senators, Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Bill Nelson, submitted the names of three candidates, including Albritton, to the Bush administration in the summer of 2007.

Last fall, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa objected to the delay in nominating a candidate, but the White House blamed the Senate for not acting more quickly on other judicial nominations.

Albritton, 51, is a Tampa native who dropped out of Plant High School but attended New College in Sarasota and Harvard Divinity School. He worked as a youth counselor in Boston before going to Boston College Law School.

After a clerkship with federal Judge Terrell Hodges, he joined Holland & Knight in 1990.

His specialties include antitrust and trade regulation, intellectual property law and white-collar criminal defense, according to the firm's Web site.
Albritton is married and has two children.

Ken Lundberg, spokesman for Martinez, said the earliest the Senate Judiciary Committee could act on Albritton's appointment probably is October, and possibly later.
Albritton is a Republican who describes himself as "not very politically active."

Even if he were to serve only a brief term as U.S. attorney, Albritton could find his practice restricted afterward. Former U.S. attorneys face permanent restrictions after they leave office on handling any federal civil or criminal cases that arose while they were in office, and other, temporary restrictions on handling cases involving the U.S. attorney's office.
Albritton said he hasn't focused on those restrictions.

"I just can't project on those issues right now," he said. "I see the position as an act of public service."

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com.

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