Duval County Judge Gary Flower is the 2025 recipient of the Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz presented the award to Flower on July 9 at the Conference of County Judges of Florida meeting in Bonita Springs.
“I am so honored and humbled. To be honest, still gobsmacked,” Flower said July 10.
In a news release from the Office of State Courts Administrator, Muñiz said the nominating materials for Flower showed how he exemplifies the professional responsibilities of a judge and the standards expected of the legal profession.
“Judges have a duty to live up to the highest ideals of public service. We all are trying to achieve excellence, to be supportive colleagues, and to always put service to the people first,” Muñiz said.
“Judge Flower clearly demonstrates these qualities. He has shown himself to be a judge all of us can look to as a model of professionalism and commitment to our highest standards,” he said.
Flower was appointed to the bench in 2000. He has served as administrative judge of county courts four times, including during the coronavirus pandemic.
He was president and chair of education for the Conference of County Court Judges, as well as co-department head for the Advanced College of Judicial Studies. He is on the faculty of the Florida Judicial College and a member of the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Flower is chair of the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Mentoring Committee and communications chair on the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association board of directors.
In the community, Flower is a member of the Mayor’s Victim Assistance Advisory Council, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida board of directors and program chair of the Jacksonville Historical Society.
The Chief Justice Awards for Judicial Excellence, established in 2015, recognize one county court judge and one circuit judge who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the judicial branch and who personify judicial excellence. The circuit judge recipient will be announced in August.