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    • Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Race Results: Election Candidates
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    Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Race Results: Election Candidates

    Sakege Posted on

    Alexcia Cox, a Democrat, Sam Stern, a Republican, and Adam Farkas, an independent, are vying to succeed Dave Aronberg as the county’s top prosecutor.

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    WEST PALM BEACH — With less than 30 minutes until polls close, Palm Beach County voters are set to elect a new state attorney for the first time in more than a decade.

    Challengers include Democrat Alexcia Cox, a longtime prosecutor backed by the current state attorney; Republican Sam Stern, a private attorney who comes from a line of prosecutors and public servants; and Adam Farkas, an independent candidate with experience prosecuting and defending defendants.

    Each hopes to replace three-term incumbent Dave Aronberg, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election. The winner of the Nov. 5 general election will take Aronberg’s place in the State Attorney’s Office in January, earning a salary of $218,939 to lead about 115 prosecutors and 180 support staff.

    ➤ 2024 Broward County General Election Results

    ➤ 2024 Florida General Election Results

    Am I registered to vote in Florida? how to check

    What’s at stake in the race for Palm Beach County state’s attorney?

    The outcome of this year’s election has the potential to shape the justice system for many years to come. In Florida, there are no term limits for state attorneys. That means the November winner can serve an unlimited number of four-year terms as long as he continues to win re-election.

    In Palm Beach County, that’s more than a hypothesis. David Bludworth, elected in 1972, was the community’s top prosecutor for 21 years. His successor, Barry Krischer, served for 16 years after that. Aronberg served for 11 years before endorsing Cox, one of his top deputy state attorneys, to take his place.

    The State Attorney’s Office processes thousands of cases a year, from murders to burglaries. Your lead prosecutor can help decide which cases to pursue and which to dismiss, when to seek the death penalty, and when to recommend diversion programs instead of prison sentences.

    Here’s what you should know about the candidates vying for the position.

    Abortion and Amendment 4: Five things to know about Florida’s Election Day question

    • Age and residence: 44, Playa Real de Palma.
    • Current job: Chief Deputy Assistant State Attorney for the State Attorney’s Office in Palm Beach County.
    • Top campaign priorities: Cox plans to create an Elder Crimes Unit focused on combating cybercrime. In an effort to improve employee retention, he also plans to establish housing incentives for prosecutors, advocate for higher salaries from the state, and introduce health and wellness initiatives for employees.
    • Political background: None.
    • Education: Cox earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law.
    • Endorsements: Cox is endorsed by more than 50 elected officials, including State Attorney Dave Aronberg; Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw; Congressmen Lois Frankel and Jared Moskowitz; and state senators Tina Polsky, Lori Berman and Bobby Powell.

    • Age and residence: 43, West Palm Beach.
    • Current job: Attorney at Stern, Kilcullen & Rufolo LLC, a New Jersey law firm with an office in Palm Beach Gardens.
    • Top campaign priorities: Stern, who has experience teaching trial advocacy at the University of Miami School of Law, said he hopes to recruit top talent and provide the best training to prosecutors. He also plans to create a task force dedicated to prosecuting criminals in possession of firearms.
    • Political background: None.
    • Education: Stern earned his bachelor’s degree from Hobart & William Smith Colleges and his law degree from Fordham University School of Law.
    • Endorsements: Stern has been endorsed by Michael Caruso (State Representative District 87), Rick Roth (State Representative District 94), Peggy Gossett-Seidman (State Representative District 91), Sara Baxter (Palm Beach County Commissioner, District 6) and Gregg Lerman and Craig Williams, two veteran prosecutors who lost to Cox in the Democratic primary for state attorney.

    • Age and residence: 40, north of Palm Beach.
    • Current job: Partner at the law firm Farkas & Crowley, PA
    • Top campaign priorities: Farkas hopes to reduce the incarceration rate by ending incarceration for minor probation violations and expanding the use of pretrial treatment and diversion programs for defendants. He also plans to evaluate and address racial disparities in sentencing and lobby state officials for better salaries for prosecutors.
    • Political background: None.
    • Education: Farkas earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his law degree from Nova Southeastern University.
    • Endorsements: Farkas has not included any endorsements. He said that as a non-party candidate, he “hasn’t played the endorsement game like partisan candidates.”

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