BIOGRAPHY OF PETER ANTONACCI

Peter Antonacci began his legal career in the Tallahassee office of Rogers, Towers, Barley, Jones and Gay. He was later appointed as an Assistant State Attorney in the Second Circuit. Over the next eight years, Antonacci prosecuted numerous cases across North Florida, was twice appointed Special Assistant United States Attorney, and was appointed by Governor Graham as a specially assigned prosecutor throughout the State. During this period, Antonacci served on the Supreme Court’s Rules of Criminal Procedure Committee and chaired the Forfeiture Law Committee of the Florida Bar.

In 1988, Antonacci was appointed Florida’s Statewide Prosecutor. Over the next three years, Antonacci focused the newly created Office of Statewide Prosecution on complex white collar crimes including securities and insurance fraud, ponzi schemes and pyramid marketing schemes. Under Antonacci’s leadership, Florida was the only state to successfully extradite Columbian citizens to face drug smuggling charges in a state court.

From 1991 to 1997, Antonacci served under Attorney General Bob Butterworth as Deputy Attorney General of Florida. In that role, Antonacci directed and supervised over 300 lawyers, implementing the Attorney General’s Cabinet, Legislative and other policy initiatives. Florida’s Attorney General represents virtually every state agency in their day-to-day litigation. Antonacci also managed and coordinated major state litigation involving, among other things, state lands, gaming issues generally, antitrust and economic crime cases, health care fraud, elections litigation, and the landmark case against tobacco companies. Antonacci was responsible for coordinating the State’s legal representation with the Governor’s Office, the Florida Legislature, and Cabinet officers.

In 1987 and 2004, Antonacci represented Governors Graham and Bush respectively, as special prosecuting counsel in the Senate impeachment trials of Supervisors of Elections. From 2001 – 2005, Antonacci was a member of the Florida Commission on Ethics. In 2005, Governor Bush appointed Antonacci to the Second Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. In 2006, Governor Bush appointed Antonacci to the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District and Antonacci was reappointed in 2008 by Governor Crist. In 2008, Governor Crist appointed Antonacci to the First District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission. From 2000 until 2012, Antonacci was a shareholder in the GrayRobinson law firm.

In March 2012, Governor Scott appointed Antonacci State Attorney of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit to serve the unexpired term of Michael McAuliffe who resigned in favor of a private practice.

BACKGROUND

Antonacci was raised in Hialeah, Florida attending Roman Catholic schools and received a B.S. in 1970, an M.S. in Health Planning in 1973, and a J.D. in 1979 from Florida State University. Antonacci was a public school teacher in Newton, Georgia; a health planner for the Health Planning Council of South Florida; while in law school, interned with the Tourism and Economic Development Committee of the Florida House of Representatives, and clerked for a state trial court judge.

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