Attorney Lisa McLean to run for Hillsborough public defender
TAMPA — For the first time in 20 years, Hillsborough County voters will get to decide whom they want to be their public defender.
Lisa McLean, a longtime Tampa criminal defense attorney who describes herself as an “in the trenches” lawyer, announced this week that she will run to succeed Public Defender Julianne Holt, who is retiring after 30 years in office.
McLean will face Rocky Brancato, who is Holt’s chief operations officer, in the 2024 Democratic primary election. Holt has endorsed Brancato to be her successor.
It will be the first time that more than one candidate has run for the office since 2004. So far, no Republican candidates have entered the race.
McLean on Wednesday told the Tampa Bay Times that she respects Holt and wants to build on the work that she has done.
“Change is inevitable,” McLean said. “Change is good. That office needs a fresh perspective.”
The Hillsborough Public Defender’s Office represents people accused of crimes who can’t afford to hire their own defense lawyers. It was created after the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright ruled that the Constitution requires states to provide criminal defendants with legal counsel.
The office employs 120 attorneys and has a budget of more than $23 million.
Holt was first elected to the office in 1992, when she defeated Judge C. Luckey, who’d been Hillsborough County’s public defender since 1971. She won reelection against opponents in 1996, 2000 and 2004. In every election since, Holt has been automatically reelected after no candidates emerged to challenge her. She announced last year that she plans to retire.
McLean, 58, has worked in the criminal justice system for 33 years.
She began her career as a prosecutor, working for the late Hillsborough State Attorney Bill James. In 1993, she went to work for Holt, who was then newly elected. McLean later spent time in private practice before returning to government service as a bureau chief in the office of Statewide Prosecution. She also worked for a time in the firm of prominent Tampa defense lawyer Richard Escobar.
In 2006, McLean opened her own firm, focusing on criminal defense.
Her professional website touts dismissals in a variety of cases, ranging from simple theft to racketeering.
“I enjoy being a zealous advocate for others,” she said.
As she vies to lead the public defender’s office, McLean says she wants to focus on addressing the root causes of crime, safe reentry of incarcerated people into the community and bail reform. On her campaign website‚ she mentions partnering with social service agencies to address poverty, mental illness, addiction and homelessness.
Since announcing her campaign Monday, McLean has assembled a list of endorsements that include several former Hillsborough judges, among them retired Chief Judges F. Dennis Alvarez and Manuel Menendez.
A Florida native, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a law degree from Stetson University College of Law. She is married and has two sons.
