Gov. DeSantis orders flags at half staff to honor Justice Stephen Grimes

Flags will fly at half staff Wednesday in honor of former Florida Supreme Court Justice Stephen H. Grimes.

Grimes, who died Friday, served as a Justice from 1987 until 1997. He served as Chief Justice from 1994 to 1996.

Among his accomplishments, Grimes — a U.S. Navy and Korean War veteran — authorized the establishment of a website for the court.

“Justice Grimes will be remembered for a life dedicated to service, civic engagement, faith, and family,” the Governor’s Office wrote in a news release. “It is abundantly clear given the praise and admiration from those who knew him and worked with him that Justice Grimes was an extraordinary man.”

The order directs flags at the Leon County Courthouse, Tallahassee City Hall and State Capitol to fly at half staff Wednesday from sunrise to sundown.

“He served the Florida Supreme Court and the people of Florida with exceptional knowledge and humility, and his legacy serves as an example of what it means to be a great Floridian,” the order adds.

Grimes earned his undergraduate and law degree at the University of Florida.

Prior to serving as a Justice, he served as a judge on the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland and later served as chief judge from 1978-1980.