Lacey Collier

The Honorable Lacey A. Collier (b. 1935) is a United States District Court Judge for Florida's Northern District.

Lacey Collier
Born	1935 Demopolis, Alabama
Occupation	Judge, U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida

Contents

Early Life & Career

Born in Demopolis, Alabama, Collier moved to Pensacola in 1955 to enroll in the Navy flight school. He retired from the Navy in 1975 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He received his law degree from Florida State University in 1977 and holds three other degrees, including a master's in political science, from the University of Florida.

Collier was appointed to the First Judicial Circuit Court in 1984 and to the federal bench in 1991, by President George H. W. Bush.

Westgate Snoezelen Complex

After being invited to tour the Escambia Westgate Center for mentally disable children by his scuba-diving friend Joe Denmon, a behavior specialist at the school, Judge Collier helped replace two of the center's old station wagons, used for field trips, with new mini-vans. He later helped Westgate principal Susan Berry build a $1.7 million, 11,000-square-foot snoezelen sensory facility for children with severe disabilities. Named in his honor, the Lacey A. Collier Snoezelen Sensory Complex is a flagship project and one of the only facilities of its kind in the United States.

Community Maritime Park

Judge Collier was selected as the third principal of the proposed Community Maritime Park project after the deaths of Vice Admiral Jack Fetterman and Mayor Emeritus Vince Whibbs. After the project survived the September 5, 2006 referendum, Collier was named chairman of the Community Maritime Park Associates as the other principals, John Cavanaugh and Quint Studer, who would become tenants of the park, resigned to avoid a conflict of interest.

	I thought with President Cavanaugh and Studer on the board, I could sit back and watch those two big time guys operate, attend a few meetings and maybe get the opportunity to go to the opening game at the new ballpark. So, I go to the first meeting and first thing they do is elect me chairman. Then, my first duty is to read their letters of resignation.
—The Honorable Lacey Collier, "Doing His Duty," Independent News

References

• "Doing His Duty." Independent News, May 31, 2007.