Republican running for PBC state attorney
Former state, federal prosecutor joins 4 Dems
WEST PALM BEACH — A former state and federal prosecutor has entered the race to become the next Palm Beach County state attorney.
He is the first Republican to do so. Samuel A. Stern joins defense attorney Gregg Lerman, retired sheriff ’s captain Rolando Silva, and assistant state attorneys Alexcia Cox and Craig Williams in a bid to become the county’s top prosecutor.
Each hopes to succeed three-term incumbent Dave Aronberg, who announced in June that he will not seek reelection.
Unless another Republican candidate enters the race, Stern will advance unopposed to the general election in November.
The deadline to enter the race is in April.
“We deserve a state attorney who seeks justice for victims and who will fight to put criminals behind bars,” Stern said. “As state attorney, I will enforce the law free of any outside influence and without fear or favor.”
Stern is a partner in the Palm Beach Gardens law firm Stern, Kilcullen & Rufolo, where he focuses on civil litigation, internal investigations and white-collar criminal defense.
Stern, a resident of West Palm Beach, graduated from Fordham Law School in 2006.
He worked for about 18 months as an assistant prosecutor in Hudson County, New Jersey, then spent two years with the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney in Newark.
Stern’s father, Herbert J. Stern, was once the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
In 2012, the younger Stern traded his federal position for a state one.
He joined the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted felony cases until 2013, then worked at a private practice in Miami called Kobre & Kim.
A father of two, Stern teaches trial advocacy at the University of Miami’s law school.
He is a member of The Florida Bar, the New Jersey Bar, the New York Bar, and the District of Columbia Bar.
“I am running for Palm Beach County State Attorney because this is where my wife and I are raising our two boys, and it is where our parents call home,” Stern said. “I want to use my experience as a prosecutor to keep our community safe.”