Fourth Circuit Judge Daniel Wilensky is retiring effective Dec. 31.
In a letter sent to friends, colleagues and court staff Dec. 8, Wilensky, 69, said he notified Gov. Ron DeSantis of his decision Nov. 1.
“lt has been a pleasure and honor to have worked with all of you over many years. I will miss seeing and working with you, but hopefully we can make an effort to keep in touch. We have lots of shared memories and stories over a long career,” he wrote.
“I have been blessed to have had an opportunity to so profoundly positively impact generations of people. We, together, have worked on many interesting and impactful issues.”
Born in Jacksonville, Wilensky graduated from The Bolles School, the University of South Florida and Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law.
Wilensky was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1977.
As an attorney he concentrated his practice in family law and mediation, and served as a special magistrate. Wilensky mediated about 1,000 family law cases,
The state Supreme Court approved him as a primary trainer for family mediation certification.
He was elected to the circuit bench in 2006 and re-elected in 2012 and 2018.
The state Supreme Court awarded him the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award in 1999.
He received the Guardian ad Litem Judicial Advocate Award in 2009 and the Guardian ad Litem Community Advocate Award in 2010.