Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an extraordinary leader and pillar of the Tampa Bay legal community, Mr. Delano Stewart.

Delano Stewart retired in July 2015 after an illustrious 50-year legal career in the state of Florida. A graduate of Hillsborough County public schools, Mr. Stewart went on to matriculate from Morehouse College and Howard University Law School. His memorable career began as the first African-American Assistant Public Defender in Hillsborough County’s history. In 1970, he went on to open the first integrated law firm in the state of Florida. In addition to his legal work, Mr. Stewart was the first African-American elected  to the Board of Directors of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the first African-American member of the Rough Riders civic club.

Mr. Stewart’s memorable career was shaped by many stalwart figures in the civil rights movement. At the age of 12, inspired by a visit from Thurgood Marshall, who was in Tampa as an NAACP attorney assisting in the African-American teacher’s campaign for equal pay, Mr. Stewart desired to become a lawyer. His passion for the civil rights movement was further stoked upon traveling to Washington, D.C. for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  Additionally, Mr. Stewart is proud to champion Garland Stewart, the first African-American administrator in Hillsborough County school district history who played a key role in integrating the district, as the greatest influence on his life.

Beyond his legal career, he founded The Delano S. Stewart Diversity Award which is given each year to an individual for lifetime achievements in improving the lives of African-Americans and promoting diversity in the legal profession.

During this new chapter of his life, Mr. Stewart plans on spending more time with his wife and their six children and eight grandchildren as well as working on his novel. In Delano Stewart’s own words he is not retiring, rather he is finding new ways to help people with his specialized legal training. Mr. Speaker, I join the Tampa Bay community in honoring Mr. Delano Stewart for his lifelong commitment to fairness and justice for all.