Brian Kramer was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in October of 1968 while his father served in the military. At the completion of his father’s military duty, his family returned to Gainesville in 1969 when he was so young that he considers himself a Gainesville native. He was educated in the local public school system, attending Myra Terwilliger Elementary School, Ft. Clarke Middle School, F.W. Buchholz High School, Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College), and the University of Florida. Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in May of 1990 from the University of Florida. He attended law school at Stetson University College of Law, earning his Juris Doctor in May of 1993 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in September of 1993. Over more than 27 years in practice, Brian has served as private counsel, an assistant public defender, and an assistant state attorney, 20 of those 27 years as a state prosecutor.
Brian started his legal career as a certified legal intern in January 1993 and went on to serve as an Assistant Public Defender for 12th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Elliot Metcalfe from September of 1993 to November of 1995. He represented indigent defendants in misdemeanor, traffic, juvenile and felony matters.
Brian has worked in private civil litigation on two occasions. He was employed as an associate with the law firm Harlee, Porges, et. Al. in Bradenton Florida from February to October of 1997, and as a shareholder with Scruggs & Carmichael P.A. from December 2007 to January 2010. In private practice, he represented clients in many areas of civil litigation. He has litigated commercial contracts, prosecuted and defended collections, litigated probate matters, criminal matters, matters of professional licensing and discipline, and family law matters.
Brian began his career as an Assistant State Attorney under 12th Circuit State Attorney Earl Moreland in December of 1996. In October of 1999, then State Attorney Rod Smith hired Brian as an Assistant State Attorney in the Eighth Circuit. Starting under State Attorney Rod Smith and continuing on with State Attorney William “Bill” Cervone, Brian has prosecuted all types of criminal cases including, misdemeanor, juvenile, traffic, domestic violence, drug crimes, property crimes, financial crimes, sexual crimes, child abuse, violent crime, and murder. He has served as an Assistant State Attorney assigned to the County Court, an Assistant State Attorney assigned to the Circuit Court, Circuit-wide Firearms Crimes Prosecutor, the Levy County Division Chief, Felony Division Chief, Public Records Custodian, and Executive Director.
Brian served as the Executive Director for the Office of the State Attorney Eighth Judicial Circuit from April 2012 until he took office as the State Attorney in January 2021. As the Executive Director of the State Attorney’s Office, Brian was responsible for the fiscal operation of the office, including administration of 8 separate budget entities totaling over 10 million dollars. He supervised all of the non-attorney professional staff. He managed the physical plant of 6 offices. As Executive Director, he represented the Office of the State Attorney and the State Attorney in his official capacity in civil matters before the Court. Brian continued to serve as an Assistant State Attorney, prosecuting matters of special concern to the State Attorney.
Brian also serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Trial Practice class, as a small group instructor. He has served two terms on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, and four terms on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nomination Commission.
He currently resides in Gainesville, Florida with his wife, Annette. They have two adult children.