Frederick B. Karl

Frederick Brennan "Fred" Karl (May 14, 1924 – March 7, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the Florida House of Representatives, Florida State Senate, and Florida Supreme Court.

He was born on May 14, 1924 in Daytona Beach, Florida to Fred J. Karl and Mary Brennan. He attended Seabreeze High School while working as an usher at a local theatre. After graduation, he enrolled in the University of Florida and earned a Bachelor of Science in 1942.

Later that year he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in the European Theater of Operations and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He was later awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and Purple Heart medals. In 1949 he received a law degree from Stetson University College of Law.

Karl ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Florida in 1964. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for Volusia County (District 14) in 1956, which he sat until 1964. He was elected to the state senate in 1968 and won an award the year after for "Most Outstanding First Term Member of the Senate". He served in the Senate until 1971.

Retirement

In 1977 Karl was the last elected justice to the Florida Supreme Court, on which he served for one year. He retired and returned to private practice in April 1978. He has held the positions of Chief Legal Officer and County Administrator for Hillsborough County, attorney to the Volusia County School Board, and District Attorney for Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach. In addition to serving in state offices, Karl has also been an active community member, participating in many organizations, such as the Rotary Club of Tampa, United Way of Hillsborough County, Stetson University Law Board of Overseers. He also headed the Tampa General Hospital in 1994. In 2004 Karl was the Interim City Attorney for Tampa Bay and an advisor hired by the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority in response to allegations of improper conduct by the Authority. He later retired from public life for the fourth and final time.

Karl's hobbies included boating, fishing, swimming. and water skiing. He released his autobiography, The 57 Club: My Four Decades in Florida Politics, in 2010. In a 2010 news article, Karl told a reporter that he was suffering from heart disease along with a progressive form of Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

Awards and honors

Karl was the winner of the 2004 Ralph A. Marsicano Award, an annual award in Florida for the person who has made significant contributions to the field of law over the long term. Tampa mayor Pam Iorio proclaimed April 18, 2008 in Tampa, Florida as named Frederick B. Karl Day. A government building in Hillsborough County, Florida is named for him.

Death

Fred Karl died at his home in Tampa. He was 88.