Assistant State Attorney Michael Hunt, a 37-year advocate for crime victims, has been selected as the recipient of the Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year Award by the statewide prosecutors association, State Attorney Phil Archer announced today (Tuesday, Aug. 23).

Hunt prosecuted both felony and misdemeanor cases before his selection as Felony Intake Division Chief 28 years ago. In that slot, he has lead a team of attorneys who make critical decisions on whether sufficient cause exists for a criminal charge in what has been more than 7,000 cases per year in Brevard County. He has also conducted more than 325 Grand Jury proceedings during which defendants face murder or other extremely serious charges.

But, as State Attorney Archer said, it is not the weightiness of his work that pushed Hunt past other veteran prosecutors; it is the willingness to give to the community. Hunt has served as a valued and trusted resource for law enforcement seeking arrest or search warrants no matter the time of day or night for the extent of his career and his decisions have been unerringly accurate and on target, Archer wrote in his nomination.

“Mr. Hunt is often the first person officers and deputies reach out to in the event of a homicide or other major crime,” Archer wrote.

In addition to his phenomenal recall of chapter, verse, and citation of legal rulings, Hunt lives a precept that is the bedrock of his success: he treats all--cops, victims, defendants--with respect. Over the years, he has remained in contact with many of the crime victims he has served; he has had defendants confess to him; and, he is warmly regarded by criminal justice professions from the support staff to the judge’s bench.

Archer also wrote “these burdens are carried [by Hunt] with grace, with optimism, and with the greatest sense of professionalism and commitment I have ever witnessed.” Archer’s sentiments are echoed in the 33 signatures from judges and criminal justice professionals who seconded the nomination.

The award will be formally presented at the association’s fall meeting in Panama City in November.

The Gene C. Berry Award naming the Outstanding Prosecutor is given annually in memory of the prosecutor from Florida’s west coast who was gunned down in the doorway of his home in 1982 by the wife of a man he sent to prison on drug charges. A plaque bearing the names of the yearly recipients hangs in the governor’s office. Two prosecutors from the Eighteenth Circuit have been previous recipients of the award: Assistant State Attorney Tom Hastings in 2003 and Assistant State Attorney Chris White in 2011.

Pictured l to r: State Attorney Archer and Assistant State Attorney Hunt.