John Carassas

John Carassas
Judge of the Pinellas County Court, Group 15
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 1, 2005
Preceded byOffice created
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 54th district
In office
November 7, 2000 – July 16, 2003
Preceded byDennis Jones
Succeeded byDon Sullivan
Personal details
Born (1966-05-13) May 13, 1966
New York City, New York
PartyRepublican
SpouseKatherine Lialios
Children1
EducationUniversity of South Florida (B.A.)
Stetson University College of Law (J.D.)
OccupationJudge

John Carassas (born May 13, 1966) is an American politician and judge from Florida who has served as a judge of the Pinellas County Court since 2005. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 54th district from 2000 to 2003.

Early life

Carassas was born in New York City in 1966 and moved to Florida in 1983.[1] He attended the University of South Florida, graduating with his bachelor's degree in 1987, and then from the Stetson University College of Law, graduating in 1990.[1] After being admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991, Carassas worked as an assistant city attorney for the city of Clearwater.[2]

Florida House of Representatives

In 2000, State Representative Dennis Jones was term-limited, and Carassas ran to succeed him in the 54th district, which stretches from St. Pete Beach to Belleair in western Pinellas County.[2] In the Republican primary, he faced Dan Curran, a pilot for American Airlines; Tony DiMatteo, the owner of a pest control business; and Dave Miller, a former Florida Power executive. Because the only candidates who filed were Republicans, the primary was opened and all voters could vote.[3] Carassas narrowly placed second in the primary, winning 34 percent of the vote to Miller's 35 percent,[4] and the two advanced to a runoff election.[5] Though the runoff was expected to be close, Carassas won by a wide margin,[6] receiving 57 percent of the vote to Miller's 43 percent.[7]

Carassas ran for re-election in 2002, and won the Republican primary unopposed. His only opponent in the general election was Kurt Gratzol, a Green Party candidate.[8] He was re-elected in a landslide, receiving 77 percent of the vote to Gratzol's 23 percent.[9]

In 2003, Carassas announced that he would resign from the House, effective July 16, to head the Tampa office of Attorney General Charlie Crist.[10][11]

Pinellas County Court

In 2005, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Carassas to a newly created position on the Pinellas County Court.[12] He was elected to a six-year term in 2008 without opposition,[13] and was re-elected unopposed in 2014,[14] 2020,[15] and 2026.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "John Carassas". Florida House of Representatives. 2003. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Collins, Lesley (December 25, 1999). "Clearwater lawyer to run for state House seat". Tampa Tribune. p. 10 Pinellas. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Shaw, Rob (September 2, 2000). "4 novice candidates running to fill District 54 House seat". Tampa Tribune. p. 9 Pinellas. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "September 5, 2000 Primary Election - Republican Primary - State Representative District: 54". Florida House of Representatives. 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ Mondaca, Carlos (September 30, 2000). "Few votes expected in Tuesday's House District 54 runoff". Tampa Tribune. p. 2 Pinellas. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Carassas claims state House seat after winning a solid majority". St. Petersburg Times. October 4, 2000. p. 4B. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "October 3, 2000 Runoff Election - Republican Primary - State Representative District: 54". Florida House of Representatives. 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  8. ↑ Royse, David (July 28, 2002). "Numerous senators draw no opposition". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1A, 10A. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "November 5, 2002 General Election - State Representative District: 54". Florida House of Representatives. 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ Sandler, Michael (July 16, 2003). "Two step up as state lawmaker steps aside". Clearwater Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Hauserman, Julie (June 13, 2003). "Belleair lawmaker to resign House seat, work for Crist". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1B. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Sommer, David (October 4, 2005). "Bush Opts For Fresh Faces In 6th Circuit Judge Picks". Tampa Tribune. p. 6 Metro. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Ballot lineup finalized". St. Petersburg Times. June 21, 2008. p. 5B. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Bradshaw, Kate (August 11, 2014). "Judicial candidates line up for 5 seats". Tampa Tribune. p. Metro 1, Metro 5. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Blankenship, Gary (May 4, 2020). "Justice Muñiz, 24 DCA judges on merit retention ballot; 52 circuit, county court races to be decided". The Florida Bar News. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ Killian, Mark D.; Ash, Jim (April 28, 2026). "Dozens of trial court races set for August primary". The Florida Bar News. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
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