Judge Theotis Bronson: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Theotis Bronson (Ret.) served as a judge for the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Bronson was appointed to the bench by former Governor Lawton Chiles on June 7, 1993, filling a vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Emerson Thompson to the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. He retired at the conclusion of his term in 2012 and became a senior judge.

The 9th Judicial Circuit encompasses Osceola County and Orange County.

Prior to his appointment, Bronson was a judge for the Orange County Court, a position to which he was named by former Governor Bob Graham in 1986.

Bronson earned an associate's degree from Seminole County Community College (1971) and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Rollins College (1973). He then completed a J.D. at the University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law, in 1978. As a law student, Bronson clerked with the Office of the State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

After graduating from law school, Bronson began his legal career as a staff attorney with Greater Orlando Area Legal Services, Inc. He worked in that capacity for two years, eventually leaving to become an assistant public defender with the Office of the Public Defender for the 9th Judicial Circuit. During his tenure as a public defender, Bronson rose through the ranks, quickly becoming Chief of the Felony Division.

His memberships have included the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Mediation and Arbitration, the Florida Crime Commission, the U.S. Constitutional Bicentennial Commission, the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association, the Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida. He also served as Director of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Conference of County Judges.

Bronson was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Hungerford High School in Eatonville.