Alachua County plans courthouse renaming ceremony

Alachua County will hold a ceremony at noon on Jan. 14 to rename the county courthouse in honor of Judge Stephan Mickle, who died in January 2021.

The event will happen at the main entrance to the building and feature speakers from the county, City of Gainesville and judiciary. The event will also include music, a color guard and essay reading by local Alachua County students.

The county decided to move forward with the renaming process and honoring of Mickle through a display at the courthouse in October.

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“It is a tremendous honor to see the courthouse named after my father,” Stephanie Mickle, his daughter, said in a county press release. “It’s important for others to be able to see themselves in his life. His sacrifices and triumphs will inspire others for generations to come and impact our youth early in their lives and education.”

Mickle was the first African American to practice law in the county since the reconstruction period, to serve on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, to work as federal judge in the Northern District of Florida and to hold the position of Chief Judge in that district.

Mickle also broke barriers as the first African American graduate of UF. He entered the university in 1962.

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