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A. Bryant Applegate, county attorney for Seminole County, is the recipient of the 2023 Claude Pepper Outstanding Government Lawyer Award.
The award recognizes Florida lawyers who have made exemplary contributions as practicing government lawyers. It is named after Claude Pepper, a Florida attorney, U.S. senator, and congressman, who was an advocate on behalf of the people, and who represented the highest ideals of government service through 12 presidential administrations.
The award was presented to Applegate by outgoing Bar President Gary Lesser at the Bar’s Annual Convention in Boca Raton on behalf of the Government Lawyer Section.
Applegate has served as county attorney for Seminole County for 12 years and is set to retire this year.
“In the course of his career, Bryant has served as senior counsel for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and ethics advisor in the Office of the Counsel to the President,” Lesser said. “Bryant also served as HUD’s representative in New Orleans on the federal task force overseeing emergency recovery efforts immediately after Hurricane Katrina and as the co-director of America’s Affordable Communities Initiative working with state and local officials throughout the country on plans to produce affordable housing for America’s workforce.”
Applegate is also a pro bono leader, having established a pro bono program helping families with seriously ill children. He received multiple awards for his pro bono work, including from the Young Lawyer’s Section, the Orange County Legal Aid Society, and the Seminole County Legal Aid Society. Applegate served as president of the Florida Association of County Attorneys, and is the recipient of the 2018 Florida Association of Counties President’s Award and the 2018 St. Thomas More Award by the Orlando Catholic Diocese.