Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez has earned the Gold Shield Foundation’s Community Service Award recognizing her commitment to public safety.
Lopez is a member of the Foundation.
The Gold Shield Foundation was founded by the late George Steinbrenner in the early ’80s in response to the deaths of two firefighters and one police officer killed in the line of duty who left behind widows and children. Steinbrenner, then the principal owner of the New York Yankees, organized a group of citizens to ensure families like theirs receive early financial assistance and are guaranteed funds toward a college education.
The foundation services seven counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Polk and Marion.
“I am deeply touched to be honored by the Gold Shield Foundation. The Gold Shield Foundation is a God-send for the families of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters in the Tampa Bay region,” Lopez said of the award.
“These heroes gave their lives in our defense, and their families deserve our full support. The brave men and women who are our law enforcement and firefighters risk everything for us, so we owe it to them to have their backs, too.”
Lopez, a Republican, took over the Hillsborough State Attorney’s office after Gov. Ron DeSantis controversially suspended Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren in August of 2022. Currently a political appointee, Lopez is now running for the seat in 2024.
Lopez served as a county judge before her appointment, and had been appointed to that post in December 2021. She previously worked as an Assistant State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit for 17 years. Before that, Lopez worked as a lawyer at the 2nd District Court of Appeal.
Lopez said her office handles about 50,000 cases each year. She said her focus has been on advocating for crime victims and pursuing justice.
She is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Goldberg-Cacciatore and Tampa Bay Inns of Court, the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers and the Hillsborough County Bar Association Professionalism Award Committee. Lopez is on the Executive Council of Safe and Sound Hillsborough and board chair for Self Reliance, The Center for Independent Living.
The Gold Shield Foundation provides $5,000 immediately to slain heroes’ families as well as immediate financial assistance toward college or vocational training for the surviving spouse or their dependent children and scholarships to cover tuition, books, fees and room and board at in-state university rates.
