Harry Shorstein, five-term Jacksonville-area state attorney and juvenile justice reformer, dies at 86

Harry Shorstein, the Vietnam combat veteran who served five terms as state attorney for Florida's 4th Judicial Circuit and built a national reputation for steering young offenders away from crime, died Friday, Oct. 23, in Jacksonville. He was 86.

Shorstein led the prosecutor's office for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties from 1991 to 2008, a 17-year run that made him Jacksonville's top prosecutor through some of the region's most closely watched criminal cases. The State Attorney's Office announced his death, calling him "a true public servant" and "a combat-decorated U.S. Marine in Vietnam before he returned home to serve his community."

A Jacksonville native and Marine captain

Born Aug. 3, 1940, Shorstein grew up in Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, since renamed Riverside High School. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1965.

He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a captain in a legal unit of the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam. In February 1968, during the siege of Khe Sanh, he was working a court-martial at the base and stayed through some of the heaviest shelling, when more than 1,300 rounds landed in eight hours, according to the Florida Times-Union. He received the Bronze Star with Combat "V," the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Combat Action Ribbon.

From prosecutor to city lawyer

After the war, Shorstein worked in the Public Defender's Office under Lou Frost before crossing to the prosecution side. From 1970 to 1974 he was a division head in the State Attorney's Office under Ed Austin, handling a heavy load of criminal jury trials, including 15 to 20 murder trials, according to the office. Among them was the prosecution of Ernest John Dobbert.

In 1974, at 33, he became Jacksonville's youngest general counsel. In that job he took on a plan by Offshore Power Systems, a venture backed by Westinghouse and Tenneco, to build floating nuclear power plants in the St. Johns River. His report warned the project could bankrupt the city and expose officials to personal liability and called it "contrary to the public interest," according to the Times-Union and News4JAX. The plan collapsed.

He then spent roughly 15 years in private practice before returning to public life.

Five terms as state attorney

In 1991, Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Shorstein state attorney to fill out the term of his old boss, Ed Austin, who stepped down to run for mayor of Jacksonville and won. Shorstein, a Democrat, was elected to the post in 1992, reelected in 1996 and returned to office without opposition in 2000 and 2004.

His tenure included cases that drew attention far beyond Northeast Florida:

• George Loeb (1991): Shorstein's office prosecuted the white supremacist in the killing of Harold Mansfield Jr., a Black U.S. Navy sailor, outside a Jacksonville lounge, a case pursued as a hate crime.
• Maddie Clifton (1998): His office prosecuted Josh Phillips, who at 14 killed 8-year-old Maddie Clifton with a bat and hid her body under his bed. Action News Jax reported that Phillips was, at the time, the youngest person ever convicted of murder.
• Dr. William Sybers (2001): Shorstein led the prosecution of the Panhandle medical examiner accused of murdering his wife, Kay Sybers, winning a conviction.

Shorstein also counted the case of Brenton Butler among his toughest, according to a 2019 profile by the State Attorney's Office. Butler, a 15-year-old, was wrongly charged with murder during Shorstein's tenure and was acquitted.

He was admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor the office said only a handful of state or district attorneys have received.

A national model for juvenile justice

Shorstein's most lasting legacy may be his approach to juvenile crime. His office targeted early "gateway" offenses such as truancy and auto theft, pairing prevention and intervention programs with firm prosecution of violent and repeat offenders. He argued that preventing crime was cheaper than punishing it, the Times-Union reported.

A Florida State University study credited the program with a sharp drop in juvenile crime in Jacksonville from 1993 to 1996, and the approach was profiled by "60 Minutes" and The New York Times.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said Shorstein believed deeply in delivering justice but also in second chances, and that his focus on at-risk youth reflected that mission. "Harry Shorstein was an example to all of us through his many decades of public service," Deegan wrote. "His wisdom and heart will be missed."

Leaving office and later years

In February 2007, Shorstein announced he would not seek a sixth term. Angela Corey, a prosecutor in the office whom Shorstein had fired in 2007, won the 2008 election to succeed him.

After leaving office, Shorstein returned to private practice at Shorstein & Lasnetski with his youngest son, Paul. U.S. News & World Report named him Jacksonville's best white-collar defense lawyer in 2010. He was a finalist for U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida in 2009, a bid Corey publicly opposed, but President Barack Obama chose Robert O'Neill for the post in 2010.

In 2019, the State Attorney's Office unveiled his official portrait at the Duval County Courthouse before current and former staff and members of the legal community. "This is a great honor bestowed by great friends," Shorstein told the crowd. "I am proud of the work we did and I am proud of our family," he said, using the word he applied to the office's lawyers and staff.

Tributes

State Attorney Melissa Nelson, who now leads the 4th Circuit office, said Shorstein's life was "marked by extraordinary service to his country and our city." She called him "an excellent state attorney" and "an exceptional trial lawyer," and said his "do the right thing" legacy will endure in the office. The office's 2019 profile said he was known for urging staff to "do the right thing," for "setting the example" and for the principle that "you can't delegate responsibility."

Survivors and services

Shorstein is survived by his wife, Ann R. Shorstein; sons Bryan and Paul; his brother, Samuel "Buddy" Shorstein; and two granddaughters, according to the Times-Union. A graveside service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at New Center Memorial Park, 200 E. 43rd St., in Jacksonville.