Lake Circuit Judge Nacke to step down July 31
Circuit Judge Mark Nacke, who has presided over felony cases in Lake County since 2006 and helped create a Veterans Treatment Court, is stepping down from the bench July 31.
He is Lake’s second judge to retire this year, joining Circuit Judge William Law, whose last day is June 30. He was a judge for 28 years.
Besides handling cases, Nacke, 66, devoted energy to a voluntary program for arrested veterans who demonstrate a substance-abuse or other mental-health condition related to their military service.
Nacke, who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, has handled the division’s docket since it launched in 2016. Guided by Florida statutes, the program requires eligible veterans to make regular court appearances, attend treatment sessions and submit to drug testing.
Veterans charged with violent crimes, sex offenses or crimes against children aren’t eligible for the program, designed to help veterans improve their lives.
True to his quiet, private nature, Nacke’s one-line resignation letter offered no reason for his decision to step down before his term ended.
Asked if he had retirement plans, he said, “Not really.”
He was appointed as a judge in December 2005 by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
Earlier, he had been nominated for a seat on the bench three times by a committee of peers but was passed over by the governor.
Nacke formerly served as an assistant public defender and handled murder cases for indigent people. A colleague, Bill Stone, lauded him for his ability to remain calm in trying times.
“Nothing seems to upset him,” Stone said. “If it does, he never lets it show.”
Nacke graduated from the University of Central Florida and earned his law degree from Stetson University. He began practicing law in 1982.
He lives in Eustis with his wife, Sherry. They have two sons.