NewsLine staff
State Attorney R.J. Larizza recently honored the legacy of the four former State Attorneys who served Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit by hanging their portraits at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach on Friday, March 27.
The office welcomed former State Attorneys John Tanner (1989 to 1992 and 1997 to 2008) and Steve Alexander (1993 to 1996), as well as the families of former State Attorneys Dan Warren (1962 to 1968) and Stephen Boyles (1969 to 1988), to the office to unveil the portraits. Also in attendance were several Seventh Judicial Circuit judges along with other local and state leaders.
At the ceremony, Larizza said that he spoke with the circuit court staff about this portrait initiative. Judges have their portraits in the courtrooms, he said, and questioned why past state attorneys should not be honored in the same way.
“I don’t know of any job that is more demanding and more taxing on people, but you can’t appreciate it unless and until you are in those shoes… Our job as state attorneys and as prosecutors is to make justice happen, and that isn’t always easy. Sometimes we try, and we fail. Sometimes we try, and we succeed… But we tried, and that is the important thing,” Larizza said. “I’m real proud of the folks that I work with. I’m proud to be a part of this fraternity of state attorneys, and I’m proud today to be able to recognize the folks that have served in this capacity before I did.”
Those honored represent decades of service to the citizens of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
