Jacob Ogles
Another former prosecutor has filed to challenge State Attorney Ed Brodsky.
Sarasota attorney Lisa Chittaro will make her case against Brodsky in the Republican primary this year.
Chittaro worked in the State Attorney’s Office in the 12th Judicial Circuit for years before going into private practice in 2017. But during her years under Brodsky, she grew increasingly frustrated with leadership.
“What I viewed as potential problems when I resigned appear to have compounded,” Chittaro said. “There’s at least an appearance of cash register justice.”
The final straw for her came with reports an armed man who entered a Sarasota condo building had charges reduced and negotiated a plea with no jail time.
But Chittaro said that was just a high-profile example of what she saw built for years. Chittaro headed the White Collar and Exploitation of the Elderly unit while she worked as a prosecutor.
“But the direction of the office did not align with what I viewed as good prosecution, aggressive prosecution, proactive prosecution,” she said.
Brodsky became State Attorney in 2013 and won election in 2012 and 2016. He’s running for reelection this year.
Chittaro isn’t the only former employee challenging the incumbent. Betsy Young, a Lakewood Ranch Democrat, previously worked as an assistant state attorney and filed in September, setting up a whistleblower website where employees could share dirt.
Chittaro seems prepared to make the case against Brodsky in the primary as well. She publicly announced her candidacy on Friday at a Republican Women’s Club of Sarasota luncheon. There, she told the audience she planned to unseat the incumbent and received applause.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you and earning your support,” she said.
Her campaign will focus on restoring integrity in the office.
“My pledge is to be visible, accountable and transparent as a State Attorney,” she said. “I feel like that’s not happening right now.”
