Harry Shorstein

Harry Louis Shorstein was born on 3 August 1940 in Jacksonville, Florida. He grew up in the city's Riverside area with his brothers Jack and Bud and, in his own words, "the greatest mother in the world". He attended Robert E. Lee High School and went on to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees, graduating in 1965. He was admitted to the Florida Bar on 25 October 1965.

Before starting his legal career he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served as a captain in the 3rd Marine Division during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V", the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Combat Action Ribbon and a Presidential Unit Citation. Before leaving he had asked Public Defender Ed Austin for a job on his return; by the time he came home Austin had been elected State Attorney, but his successor Lou Frost honoured the promise.

Shorstein began at the Public Defender's Office in Jacksonville before moving to the State Attorney's Office under Ed Austin in about 1970, serving as a division head and chief assistant state attorney until 1974. In that first spell he handled between 80 and 120 criminal jury prosecutions and 15 to 20 murder trials, including the notorious case of Ernest John Dobbert.

In 1974 he was appointed General Counsel of the City of Jacksonville at 33, the youngest in the city's history. He produced a report warning that Offshore Power Systems, a joint venture of Westinghouse and Tenneco to build floating nuclear power plants in Jacksonville, could bankrupt the city and leave officials personally liable. The deal was never finalised. He then spent 15 years in private practice.

When Austin resigned in 1991 to become mayor, Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Shorstein State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. He was elected to a full term in 1992, re-elected in 1996 and returned unopposed in 2000 and 2004. High-profile prosecutions under his leadership included George Loeb, a white supremacist who shot dead Navy sailor Harold Mansfield Jr. in 1991; Dr. William Sybers, the Panhandle medical examiner convicted in 2001 of murdering his wife Kay; and Josh Phillips, the 14-year-old convicted of killing eight-year-old Maddie Clifton in 1998. The office also brought the case against 15-year-old Brenton Butler, who was wrongly charged with murder and acquitted, a case Shorstein later named as one of the hardest of his tenure.

His best-known policy was a juvenile justice model that targeted gateway crimes such as truancy and car theft early, balancing prevention, intervention and prosecution. It drew national attention, including coverage by 60 Minutes and The New York Times. He was admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers. In February 2007 he announced that he would not seek re-election, and he was succeeded in 2009 by Angela Corey, whom he had fired in 2007. He returned to private practice with Shorstein, Lasnetski and Gihon, defending people charged with crimes, and in 2009 was considered for the post of United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, which went to another candidate.

Shorstein was married to Ann. Their son Paul, a lawyer, joined him in practice at Shorstein, Lasnetski and Gihon after he left office. He was a Democrat. He described the attorneys and staff of the State Attorney's Office as his family, and among his principles of leadership were to "set the example", that "you can't delegate responsibility" and to "do the right thing".

Harry Shorstein died on Friday 23 October 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida, aged 86. His death was announced the same day by the State Attorney's Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which called him "a true public servant" and a combat-decorated Marine who returned home to serve his community. The cause of death was not made public.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan paid tribute, saying he "believed deeply in delivering justice but also in second chances" and that his wisdom and heart would be missed. A committal service was scheduled at New Center Memorial Park Cemetery in Jacksonville on 26 October 2026, with arrangements by Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel.

Shorstein led Jacksonville's prosecutors for 17 years and is remembered for treating juvenile crime as something to be prevented as well as punished, a model that attracted national attention. In 2019 the State Attorney's Office honoured him with an official portrait at the Duval County Courthouse and said his legacy of "do the right thing" would endure at the office. Many of the lawyers he hired and mentored went on to lead Jacksonville's legal and civic life.