Ex-Chief Judge Ted Coleman remembered for his quick wit
In the courtroom, former Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Ted Coleman was known for what attorneys in his division called Colemanisms — quick-witted quips from the bench.
That wit was just as strong outside the courtroom, said Circuit Judge Mark Blechman, who was a prosecutor in Coleman’s courtroom for five years in the 1980s. Years ago, Coleman noticed his newspapers kept disappearing every morning. One morning, about 6 a.m., he caught a glimpse of a neighbor’s teenage son grabbing his paper.
Unperturbed, he called his neighbor, Blechman said.
“When your son is done with my newspaper,” Coleman said, “can he return it?”
“It was quick; it wasn’t mean. There was humor in there,” Blechman said.
Coleman died Wednesday at home. was 76.
“He was known for his intelligence, efficiency and dedication to justice. His death is a great loss to his family, his friends and colleagues,” current Chief Judge Frederick J. Lauten said in a statement.
Coleman was the chief judge for Orange and Osceola counties from 1999 to 2001, overseeing the circuit’s 52 judges. He was also a circuit judge for about 20 years — starting in 1982 — and before that an Orange County judge handling small claims from 1972 to 1976.
Coleman served as senior judge for about 10 years after he retired.
Coleman was born in Twin City, Ga., and moved with his He family to Cocoa as a teenager. He graduated from Cocoa High School in 1959, then enrolled in Cocoa Community College. He graduated from University of Florida law school and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1969.
Using his small-claims experience, he wrote the “Florida Summary Claims Handbook” to help people bringing such claims understand the process.
As a circuit judge handling felony cases — from grand theft to murder — he sometimes denied requests from attorneys asking for more time to file motions and prepare for trials.
“He was a no-nonsense judge,” Blechman said. “He wanted you to be prepared and ready to go and not come up with excuses for why you couldn’t go.”
Blechman remembered one murder case in which Coleman