By Curtis Krueger, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer sorts through files and books while cleaning out his Clearwater office Wednesday.
George Greer was a low-key county commissioner and judge, the rare elected official who never really cared for publicity. But as he cleaned out his judicial office for the final time last week to begin his retirement, Greer packed away dozens of awards honoring his service on the Pinellas-Pasco circuit bench. The awards stem from the case that defined his 18-year judicial career, a case that exploded into national controversy and threatened his safety.
Hillsborough County judges gave him an "award of awards," poking fun at him for "having received more awards than all of his colleagues put together, and all for having handled one measly case."
It was a case unlike any other in Pinellas County history — and maybe American history.
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