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Life's obstacles no match for her
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
INVERNESS -- Like so many others of her generation, Michele Slingerland drifted through her college years. She was smart, talented and completely unfocused. First she started working toward an associate's degree in criminal justice at Central Florida Community College. But she soon switched schools and majors, moving to Orlando to study journalism. Then, in 1990, Slingerland became pregnant. Her son, Kyle, was born that year. Unmarried at the time, she realized she would have to grow up in a hurry if she wanted to provide for her baby. "That's when I decided an associate's degree just wasn't going to cut it," said Slingerland, now 34. "I wanted to give my son a good life." Today, Slingerland is a Citrus County success story. After graduating with honors from the University of South Florida and Stetson University College of Law, she is now the assistant attorney for Citrus County. In the past year, she has handled some of county government's most controversial issues, including the flap over Halls River Retreat, the contentious condo project that provoked an uproar among citizens. To get her current position, Slingerland gave up a high-profile job with the State Attorney's Office. But although government lawyers might not be featured on television shows or movies, Slingerland said she's doing exactly what she wants. "I absolutely enjoy it," she said. "I am always doing something different." Ask colleagues to describe Slingerland, and they'll use terms such as "workaholic," "enthusiastic" and "devoted." It's a mind-set she developed while trying to finish her bachelor's degree at USF, work as a security guard at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and care for an infant at the same time. Slingerland worked the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift at the Vinoy, attended school in the evenings and studied until after midnight. Her parents helped care for her son, but it still was a heavy burden. "I did what I had to," Slingerland said and shrugged. "It's not something you really think about." She didn't always want to be a lawyer. When she started at USF, Slingerland assumed she would work someday for the FBI as an investigator. By the end of her college career in 1993, she had switched gears and planned to pursue a Ph.D. with an eye toward teaching. It was her father who coaxed her into applying to law school. She was accepted at Stetson, where she graduated with a grade point average of 3.0. While at the Gulfport law school, she developed an affinity for land-use law. "I enjoyed the environmental law aspect of the topic," she said. One thing was certain: Slingerland wanted to return to Citrus County after law school. She grew up in St. Petersburg but moved to Sugarmill Woods in 1986 to be closer to her grandparents and escape the urban environment. "It just seemed a lot warmer and friendlier here than in St. Pete," she said. "It felt like home." Slingerland worked as a clerk for a few Inverness law firms while searching for a job in local government after returning to Citrus in 1997. But when a position opened at the State Attorney's Office, she couldn't pass up the opportunity. Hired to prosecute misdemeanor disputes, she later graduated to felony domestic battery cases. "She was a very hard worker and very dedicated to what she was doing," said State Attorney Brad King. Domestic battery case are notoriously difficult to prosecute, and the job has a high burnout rate. The conflicts are always fraught with emotion, and victims can be uncooperative. "It's very difficult because you're dealing with people who don't want to participate in the system," King said. "It takes a lot of time and effort, and an ability to talk to people. Michele really had that." Attorney Charles Vaughn, who defended many of the suspects Slingerland prosecuted during her years in the prosecutor's office, said he had developed admiration for his frequent opponent. "Anything Michele tells you, you could take it to the bank," he said. "She was hard when she had to be and easy when she could be." Although her job as a prosecutor was rewarding, Slingerland never abandoned her plan to one day become a local-government lawyer. When Assistant County Attorney Carl Kern left his position in August 2001, Slingerland jumped at the opportunity. It was a highly competitive job that attracted many experienced candidates, including a retired judge, said County Attorney Robert Battista. But Slingerland's enthusiasm and work ethic made her a natural pick, he said. "I find myself figuratively patting myself on the back all the time for the choice that I made," Battista said. Hired at a starting salary of $64,491 on Feb. 1, 2001, Slingerland was quickly thrown into the daily grind. Just days after she started, the furor over Halls River Retreat exploded, and she found herself thrust into the middle of a controversy. The County Commission was dealt a serious blow in November, when a Brooksville circuit judge threw out the commission's approval of the condominium project. Circuit Judge Jack Springstead said the commission majority "appeared to totally ignore much of the testimony presented" at a Feb. 12 hearing. Slingerland now is handling the appeal of Springstead's ruling. "I'm not here to give any type of opinion," she said. "My job is to defend the Board of County Commissioners. My client is the board, and I'm here to support my client's position." This year she is set to tackle other important issues, including a revision in the way the county will hear code enforcement complaints. Slingerland now is married to Crystal River police Officer Dan Slingerland. In April 2000, she gave birth to a daughter, Miranda. Although her life has calmed down considerably since her college days, Slingerland finds herself acting as a single parent again. Her husband is in the Army reserves; and with the spectre of war looming, he was called into active duty. Slingerland said she'll get through this period the same way she tackled other obstacles she has faced. "You do what you have to do," she said. "That's all there is to it." -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com .
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