FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF CODE ENFORCEMENT Robert L. Hamilton CELEBRATES

ROBERT L. HAMILTON retired in 1997 as the City Attorney for the City of Orlando. During his 25 years of service, he held the offices of Assistant City Attorney, City Prosecutor, Police Legal Advisor, Chief Assistant City Attorney, and Chief Judge of the Municipal Court prior to his appointment as City Attorney in Upon his retirement, he was designated by City Council as City Attorney Emeritus. Prior to joining the City, Mr. Hamilton was on active duty with the U. S. Army, including service with the 101 st Airborne Division in Vietnam where he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He is a member of both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Hamilton is a 1975 police academy graduate and was a state-certified law enforcement officer, serving as an Orlando Police Reserve officer from 1975 to 1997 and as a Reserve Orange County Deputy Sheriff from 1982 to He graduated in 1964 with a B. S. degree from Stetson University and in 1967 received his J. D. from that same university. He also received an LL.M. degree from the University of Miami in 1971 and an M. S. in 1979 from Rollins College. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1967 and the District of Columbia Bar in He is also admitted to practice before the U. S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U. S. Courts of Appeal for both the 5 th and 11th Circuits; and the U. S. Supreme Court. He was selected for inclusion in “Who’s Who in American Law” in 1983 and years subsequent.

Mr. Hamilton served as President of the Rotary Club of Orlando Southeast in 1976 and as President of the Central Florida Criminal Justice Council in He also was a charter member of the Florida Municipal Attorney’s Association (FMAA) in 1981 and served as its President in On the occasion of its 20 th anniversary in July 2001, FMAA honored Mr. Hamilton with the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award. In 1993, Mr. Hamilton was the recipient of the Paul S. Buchman Award as Florida’s Outstanding Municipal Attorney of the Year, and in 1996 he was the recipient of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Legal Aid Public Service Award for the State of Florida. Since 1997, Mr. Hamilton has been an Adjunct Professor for Columbia University and for the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida. He served as the Chairman of the City of Edgewood Police Pension Board of Trustees from , and from served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Orlando Federal Credit Union. He also serves as volunteer General Counsel to the Florida Association of Code Enforcement, Inc., and as a volunteer for the American Red Cross and the Orlando Science Center. He holds a FEMA certificate for completion of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

Hittin' the road Ever Unconventional, Orlando's City Attorney For The Past 25 Years Kept His Promise To Ride His Bike Through City Hall. February 1, 1997|By Dan Tracy of The Sentinel Staff After 25 years, it came down to this for retiring Orlando City Attorney Bob Hamilton: With nearly 100 people cheering Friday afternoon, the 54-year-old lawyer drove his black 1,000cc Harley-Davidson motorcycle around the first-floor rotunda of City Hall. Clad in a black leather jacket and a black helmet bearing the legend ''Hangman,'' Hamilton smiled, waved and revved the engine, the echo wafting throughout the downtown seat of municipal government. Then he left, a trail of exhaust fumes in his wake.

''I call that going out in style,'' said Lucinda Cleveland, one of the admiring onlookers and an aide to City Council member Nap Ford. Hamilton, perhaps the most unorthodox lawyer ever to work at City Hall, paused a moment on the outside steps to chat with a band of well-wishers. His last words: ''OK, folks. Time to go home. I'm out of here.'‘ Although his jaunt was not an officially sanctioned event, no one at City Hall tried to stop him, particularly as word spread that he actually was going do it, as he jokingly promised nearly a year earlier. Hamilton, previously a municipal judge known to carry a pistol underneath his robe, was hired by former Mayor Carl Langford in He was promoted to city attorney in 1982.

Although a supervisor of 18 full-time lawyers and 15 secretaries and paralegals, the bearded Hamilton hardly fit the conservative, clipped image of a city administrator. He doesn't own a suit, invariably wears a pair of boots and recently had his left ear pierced. A Vietnam veteran whose wife, Ealnor, is a private investigator, Hamilton intends to spend his retirement teaching part time at the University of Central Florida, volunteering at the Orlando Science Center and playing golf. When he isn't riding his Harley, that is.

Bob, F.A.C.E. thanks you for your many years of volunteer service to our members. Without your expertise, direction, humor and wisdom the many Boards of Directors would not have had as easy a job trying to accomplish all we have done to further the advancement of code enforcement throughout the State of Florida. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and will never forget your guidance and friendship. From Joe Huskey to Cindy Drake and all of the Presidents in between, we owe some of our successes to you. We will miss you dearly and hope you stay in touch!