Judge George Greer

By BILL LEVASQUE

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 28, 2001

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer is a rarity in two respects.

He is a former county commissioner who later won an unopposed election to the circuit bench, a seldom-used road to the judiciary.

And he boasted in 1986 that he was the first Pinellas commissioner in history to finish a 26.2-mile marathon.

Greer, 59, is a well-respected judge who consistently scores high in polls by lawyers rating judges on their judicial knowledge.

He is also the judge who ruled that Michael Schiavo could remove the feeding tube that had kept alive his wife, Terri Schiavo.

"He's diligent, fair and very astute about the law," said attorney Jay Hebert. "He's a very quiet guy. But he knows what he's doing."

Greer is a native of Brooklyn who moved to Florida when he was 4. A Southern Baptist, his mother was a housewife, and his father worked in title insurance.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and his law degree from the University of Florida, making him a Gator and a Seminole.

Greer was a zoning lawyer before narrowly winning a seat on the Pinellas County Commission, where he served eight years. He was elected to the circuit bench in 1992.

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