Cornelius Demps, Esq.
Atty. Cornelius Demps with wife Deidra, and daughters Alexandra and Audra
BY MONIQUE STAMPS
Sentinel Staff Writer
While the Tampa judges tend to get more press, the judicial race in Pasco County can see a Black man in on the bench after the August election, Cornelius Demps, Esq. Demps is running for Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge.
Demps is the only Black male running for a Florida Circuit Court judgeship in the state.
Demps, who is president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association, is a full time attorney in Wesley Chapel FL.
Demps was born in Fort Pierce, the son of the late Rodney Demps, a 1st lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and Shearon Demps, an adoption specialist.
His father was one of the notable Florida Highwaymen painter, a group of Black artists in Gifford and Fort Pierce that avoided the low pay of working orange groves by selling Florida landscape paintings during the 1950s-1980s.
Although the young Demps originally trained as an engineer, he found his calling in law. He graduated from Stetson Law School with several prestigious awards. He earned his certificate in the Concentration in Advocacy program and focused his studies in corporate and business law studies.
After briefly serving as a law clerk at a Tampa firm, Demps left private practice to be a Senior Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was assigned to the West Pasco Divisioni.
“I loved being a prosecutor, however, my wife and I were expecting our first baby and needed a more competitive salary.
“I opened my own law, The Demps Law Firm, PLLC, in Wesley Chapel during COVID. The next step is bringing my experience and talent to the bench.”
After being open for a year, Demps was named one of the People to Know in the Law by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
“Whether I am prosecuting a felony case or solving a business dispute, I want to help people.
“My mentor, Lance Scriven, ESQ., suggested that I focus on judicial races and appointments with my strong experience as a trial attorney and prosecutor. As the George Edgecomb Bar Association president, I also have administrative chops as well as being a strong leader.”
Demps says this is the time, “I can feel this in my bones. I am meant to be a judge in Pasco County, bringing a complex knowledge and experience base that will serve the people of Pasco County.”
“People want change, and they want diversity on the bench. Local elections are crucial, especially in Florida. We can’t just focus on the national election. We need to support those ideals for local offices as well.”
Demps and his wife Deidra have 2 daughters Alexandra, 6, and Audra, 3.
