Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Names Newark Native As Spokesperson | Livingston, NJ Patch – Livingston, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens announced earlier this month that Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Katherine Carter would retire on Aug. 1, after 12 years on the job. Robert Florida, a former journalist who was born in Newark and lives in North Jersey, takes over this month as the new public information officer.

“We have complete confidence that Robert will work professionally with journalists, officials, and the public to promote our three-pronged mission: To seek justice, serve justice, and do justice,” said Stephens.

Florida will manage all communications for ECPO, which is the largest and busiest prosecutor’s office in New Jersey.

Stevens noted, “Katherine Carter promoted that mission admirably for 12 years. While ECPO will miss the exceptional services Kathy has given the office, we look forward to Robert following in her esteemed wake.”

Florida has experience as both a journalist and a communications director. He has written for Newsweek, the Village Voice, Newsday, and several other publications in the area.

He is also a former communications director for Columbia University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

Born in Newark, he was the first in his family to attend college (Rutgers University). He later earned a master’s degree from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and a master’s in literature from Middlebury College.

He also studied literature at Oxford University’s Lincoln College and has taught journalism and
writing at three New Jersey colleges.

“It’s my honor and privilege to promote the mission of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office,” Florida said, “which is to serve justice so that our county is a safe place to live, work, and enjoy life.”

Katherine Carter had worked for the Governor’s Office before coming to the ECPO. Before that, she had been a reporter and editorial writer for the Star-Ledger.

She had graduated from Howard University with a BA in journalism, and Brown University with a master’s in political science.

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