From Florida Politics:
Jacksonville mourns longtime State Attorney Harry Shorstein.
A.G. Gancarski, Florida Politics, October 24, 2026
One of the most respected figures in Jacksonville’s legal history has passed away at the age of 86, and city leaders are paying their respects.
Former State Attorney Harry Shorstein, who was the State Attorney in the 4th Judicial Circuit from 1991 to 2008, was first appointed by Gov. Lawton Chiles, then ran for four terms of his own.
He also served for three years as Jacksonville’s General Counsel. And he had been considered as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, though political pressure from his successor may have played a role in blocking his appointment to that role.
“Shorstein was a true public servant — he was a combat-decorated U.S. Marine in Vietnam before he returned home to serve his community. We send our condolences to his family and friends,” the current State Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called Shorstein “an example to all of us through his many decades of public service as State Attorney, General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville, and many more achievements.”
He spoke of making sure Jacksonville isn’t a tale of two cities – a challenge that my administration works every day to change. He believed deeply in delivering justice but also in second chances, a mission that is emblematic of his focus on working with at-risk youth. His wisdom and heart will be missed, but it is carried on through the many people he mentored who are now leading our city today. My heart and prayers are with his family and every life he touched,” she said.
Current State Attorney Melissa Nelson, one of a generation of lawyers shaped by Shorstein’s example, said “Harry’s life was marked by extraordinary service to his country and our city.”
“He was an excellent State Attorney who demonstrated integrity and professionalism and he was an exceptional trial lawyer. His legacy of ‘do the right thing’ will endure at the State Attorney’s office. We have lost a distinguished public servant and I — and so many others — have lost a valued friend.”
U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, who was Jacksonville Sheriff from 2003 to 2015, said he is “deeply saddened” by Shorstein’s death.
“The criminal justice system and citizens of Clay, Duval and Nassau counties will forever owe him a deep amount of gratitude for his service to our communities.”
Shorstein’s legacy extended beyond Duval County, of course, as expressed by House Speaker-Designate Sam Garrison, who was one of the departed’s many prominent proteges.
“Harry Shorstein was a titan of the Jacksonville political and legal communities. I was a young law student from Illinois when he took a chance, hired me as an Assistant State Attorney and changed the course of my life. Whenever I needed advice about a tough case and got up the courage to ask his opinion, a gruff ‘Just do the right thing’ was almost always the response. Compliments from this Marine were precious commodities, but I’ll forever remember the call telling me how proud he was seeing one of ‘his lawyers’ serving in the Florida House,” Garrison related.
A.G. Gancarski
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at AG@FloridaPolitics.com or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
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