Supreme Court Communications Director Craig Waters To Retire Following High-Profile Career, Paul Flemming Succeeds Him In Post

Craig Waters, an innovative advocate for public trust and confidence in the judiciary, fierce warrior for government in the sunshine, and reluctant public face of the Florida Supreme Court when the world spotlight shone most brightly upon it, will retire in late February as director of public information after 35 years of public service to the Court and the people of Florida.

Craig Waters, Public Information Officer, Florida Supreme Court

“I never could have planned this career,” said Waters, 65, a native of Pensacola. “Open government always was a strong interest of mine from my days as a journalist. But the web-based technology I have used didn’t even exist when I was in law school. I learned it as it came along and adapted it to create transparency and openness in the courts.”

Paul Flemming, now director of communication for the Office of the State Courts Administrator, will succeed Waters at the Supreme Court.

Waters began his career at the Supreme Court as a staff attorney for Justice Rosemary Barkett in 1987. Prior to attending the University of Florida School of Law, Waters worked as a reporter covering courts and state government in Pensacola and Tallahassee for the Gannett newspapers.

Subsequently, as a staff attorney for Justice Gerald Kogan, Waters created the Florida Supreme Court’s first website in 1994. In 1996 he started the Public Information Office at the Florida Supreme Court, named to the newly created post by then-Chief Justice Kogan. Waters’ career at the court led Florida’s judicial branch to the forefront of transparency and openness in the nation. Among his accomplishments:

• He advocated the then-novel idea of placing public court records online starting in 1994
• Organized the statewide broadcast and worldwide livestreams of Supreme Court oral arguments starting in 1997
• Founded the statewide non-profit, educational and professional organization for court public information officers around Florida starting in 2005
• Introduced the use of social media starting in 2009 to distribute the Court’s news and information, positioning Florida at the vanguard of judicial communication around the country

Supreme Court PIO Craig Waters fields questions from reporters

Waters is most recognized for his role during Florida’s recount of the 2000 presidential election vote and the litigation surrounding it. The world’s attention was focused on the outcome in Florida for 36 days before the U.S. Supreme Court halted recounts in the case known as Bush v. Gore.

“Craig and the work he has done in support of the Florida Supreme Court put us in a leadership position around the country and globe. I appreciate his service to the Court and the innumerable ways he has contributed to the mission of the judicial system,” said Chief Justice Charles Canady. “I am confident Paul and the staff of the Public Information Office will continue this legacy of openness for the courts. Craig cannot be replaced, but his work will be continued and expanded on the foundation he has built.”

Paul Flemming

Flemming worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for a quarter century, including more than a decade leading state news coverage as capital bureau chief for outlets around the state. For two years he worked in the Legislature before joining the courts in December 2016. He has served as the first public information officer for the Office of the State Courts Administrator. That position was recommended by the State Court Communication Plan, a Supreme Court-approved initiative Waters’ office guided. The Communication Plan was implemented by the Florida Court Public Information Officers, a non-profit created by Waters, who serves as its executive director in his position with the court, a position Flemming will assume with the post.

“It has been great working with Craig these last 5 years and it is a privilege to now follow him in a job he created and defined. The Public Information Office will continue to be on the leading edge supporting the Florida Supreme Court’s mission to serve people who come to courts looking for help and solutions,” Flemming said. “Craig will leave behind an unparalleled legacy. I intend to fulfill what I know is Craig’s desire, to build on his successes and always advocate for clear and open information about Florida’s courts.”

The Court voted to select Flemming for the job. Flemming and Waters are working collaboratively to make the transition smooth and provide continuity of standards and service from the public information office. Flemming begins in his new role March 1. He will lead the Public Information Office of the Supreme Court alongside Tricia Knox, Deputy Director, and Emilie Rietow, Education & Information Administrator.

Waters said he is proudest of the public transparency created as the world watched Florida’s 36-day presidential election lawsuits in the fall of 2000. 

“The two main ideas of open government I had advocated – placing court documents on the web and livestreaming oral argument broadcasts worldwide from start to finish – were on full display during that period,” Waters said. “And they were a clear success. We often forget today that these ideas were not widely accepted by American courts beforehand.”