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Ober Asks Crist To Shield State Attorney Jobs From Budget Ax

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 24, 2008

Updated: 06/24/2008 04:33 pm

TAMPA - A governor-mandated budget cut of about 4 percent will mean fewer prosecutors splitting a growing number of cases across the state and the probable loss of 11 prosecutors from ranks in Hillsborough County.

State Attorney Mark Ober, today citing consequences of further budget cuts, asked the governor's office to exempt the state's 20 judicial circuits from reductions Gov. Charlie Crist ordered from all agencies the state funds.

Ober wrote the letter to the governor's chief of staff as president of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

Crist told state agencies his office will hold back 1 percent of their budgets each quarter starting in the new fiscal year, which will begin in July, amounting to a reduction of about 4 percent for the year.

Florida's 20 state attorneys would see about $13.4 million less statewide, and that translates to a loss of about 223 positions ranging from prosecutors to clerical workers, though assistant state attorneys likely would make up the largest share of the loss.

That is in addition to 710 statewide positions vacant because of budget cuts in the 2007-08 fiscal year, Ober says in the hand-delivered letter.

The state's 20 judicial circuits have about 6,000 employees, and their budgets total $20 million.

For the 13th Judicial Circuit that covers Hillsborough County, the loss of $800,000 in the coming 12 months would force the office to cut 18 to 20 positions. Assistant state attorneys could make up at least 11 of those lost positions, said Dick Donahoe, executive director of the local state attorney's office.

Ober's office will use attrition to make up any lost positions.

About 120 prosecutors handle cases in Hillsborough County.

Donahoe said state attorney slots would make up the bulk of the lost positions because of their higher salaries. The office would have to eliminate several office and support workers to save the same amount of money realized by eliminating one attorney.

Ober said the job of prosecuting crimes, plus acting as defense attorney for lawsuits against the sate, separates the prosecutors from other agencies and justifies the exemption.

"What we do is directly fundamental to public safety," Ober said in an interview.

Felony prosecutors in his office each handle 300 to 350 cases at any time, and prosecutors who handle misdemeanors now deal with 600 to 700 cases each, he said.

They will have a larger caseload if the budget cuts are imposed, Ober said.

"The cases don't go away. They have to be spread out over the remaining attorneys," he said.

Larger caseloads mean prosecutors will have less time to prepare for and devote to each.

And increasing the work for remaining attorneys likely will boost the 24 percent turnover of state attorneys in Hillsborough County. The attorneys have not had a raise in three years, Ober said.

"We have people leaving because prosecutors have caseloads that are unmanageable," he said.

The turnover and fewer prosecutors also affect crime victims as cases are shuffled.

"Victims are playing musical chairs from one prosecutor to another," Ober said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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