Larry Edward Metz (born March 20, 1955) is an American judge and former politician from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He has served on the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court since June 30, 2018. Previously, he was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 until his appointment as judge.

History

Metz was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and moved to the state of

in 1968. He then attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1976. After graduation, Metz took graduate-level courses in public administration at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, but did not graduate, instead attending the

Florida State University College of Law Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of ...

, where he received a Juris Doctor in 1983. From 1976 to 1980, he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and he was stationed in Japan for a year during that time, where he met his wife, Mariko. From 1980 to 1982, while in law school, he remained in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

. In 1983 he began private practice as an attorney, eventually starting Metz Law Firm, P.A. In 1992, Metz ran for Congress against incumbent Democratic Congressman

Harry Johnston Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston (12 June 1858 – 31 July 1927), known as Harry Johnston, was a British explorer, botanist, artist, colonial administrator, and linguist who travelled widely in Africa and spoke many African languages. He publishe ...

in the newly created 19th District, but he lost to Johnston, receiving only 37% of the vote. When State Representative Carey Baker opted to run for the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

rather than seek re-election in the 25th District, which included northern Lake County and a few segments in northern Seminole County and southern

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2 ...

, Metz ran to succeed him in 2004. He faced Alan Hays, Johnny Barto Smith, Randy Wiseman, and JoAnn Huggins in the

primary. Ultimately, Metz narrowly lost to Hays, winning 29% of the vote to Hays's 35%. Later that year, in 2004, he was appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

to serve on the Lake County School Board, and he was re-elected to that position in 2006. During his second term, he served two consecutive years as chairman of the board.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, when Hays ran for the

Florida State Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

rather than seeking re-election, Metz ran in the 25th District once again to succeed him. He narrowly won the

primary against Rick Joyce with 53% of the vote. In the general election, he faced Frank Layne Wood, the Democratic nominee. The ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' endorsed Wood over Metz, noting that, "Mr. Metz wavers on SunRail, which the Legislature might see again. And he hasn't ruled out expanding offshore drilling or watering down oversight of growth." However, Metz defeated Wood in a landslide, receiving 64% of the vote. When Florida House of Representatives districts were reconfigured in 2012, Metz was drawn into the 32nd District, which included only a small portion of the territory that he had previously represented in the 25th District. He was unopposed in both the primary and the general election, and won his second term unopposed. In 2014, Metz was re-elected to his third term unopposed, as well. While in the legislature, he sponsored legislation that targeted the Florida High School Athletic Association, which would "curtail the FHSAA's power to investigate and make athletic eligibility rulings, revamp its governance structure with the addition of more political appointees, and set a 2017 expiration date on its status as the designated governing body for high school sports."

Judicial service

On March 11, 2018, Governor Rick Scott announced he was appointing Metz to the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court, which covers

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

, Hernando,

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

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, and

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Counties in

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

. Metz took office July 1, 2018. He replaced William G. Law.https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Press%20Release%20(Metz).pdf September 23, 2022 - After weighing and delaying a plea deal for five months, a judge Thursday agreed to sentence Heather Finley to four years in prison for causing a 2018 crash that claimed the lives of four young mothers. The heartbroken victims’ families were outraged. “Four years for four lives!” Natalya Davis said in her comments to Circuit Judge Larry Metz.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Larry Metz (archived)Florida House of Representatives - Larry Metz (non-archived)
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Metz, Larry 1955 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians Florida State University College of Law alumni

History

Florida House of Representatives

Judicial service

See also

References

External links