Honorable Fred Seraphin

County Judge Fred Seraphin graduated from the City College of New York with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He obtained a Juris Doctorate degree at Hofstra University. Thereafter, he joined the Office of the Public Defender in Miami Dade County, Florida. It is there that he honed his skills in trial advocacy and more specifically, criminal defense. He went into private practice for a few years, and ultimately returned to his passion: defending indigents as a Public Defender.

October 15, 2001, the then Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, appointed Fred Seraphin as a County Court Judge. He was elected to that position in 2004 and 2010 without opposition. He has served in both the Civil and Criminal divisions of the Court. He also serves as faculty member of Florida Judicial College.

Judge Seraphin was an adjunct professor at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, where he lectured on various Law-related undergraduate courses. He was also a member of the Florida Supreme Court’s standing committee on Fairness and Diversity and a faculty member at the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies.

Judge Seraphin’s commitment to the South Florida community is evident in his participation as the founding member and past Board Chair of Sant La, the Haitian Neighborhood Center, Inc., and is a frequent speaker at local schools.

He is an active member of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, and is dedicated to informing the public about their legal rights. For many years, he hosted various educational talk shows on radio and cable television. Additionally, as a part of the “Community Connect” project of the Miami Dade Courts, Judge Seraphin spearheads the Town Hall Meetings throughout Miami-Dade County to educate the community regarding the Law and the Court procedures.

Judge Seraphin has remained connected to his homeland by participating in community based projects in Haiti. He donates his time towards the construction of an Orphanage, and a Hospital in Haiti. He spent several months in Haiti working on the DOJ’s Administration of Justice Project. Working with the United States Department of State,

Judge Seraphin coordinated and hosted a group of Haitian Judges and Magistrates; exposing them to the American Legal System. In Haiti he participated in panel discussions on various topics such as Justice and Democracy, Independence of the Press and the Judiciary. Judge Seraphin assisted judges in Haiti to enact a code of Judicial Conduct. His ultimate dream is to one day see an independent Judiciary in Haiti.

Judge Seraphin is most proud of his thirty two years of marriage to his wonderful wife, Barbara and his two loving children.