Jesse Scheckner
Belvin Perry Jr., a retired lawyer who served for 18 years as Chief Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit Court, is staying on as a Board of Trustees member at Florida A&M University.
Gov. Ron Desantis reappointed Belvin, a celebrated and active community member who worked as a personal injury lawyer after stepping down from the bench in 2014, to the 13-member panel.
Perry’s reappointment is subject to Senate approval.
According to his short bio on the Board of Trustees webpage, Belvin served as a circuit Judge for nearly 24 years. He also served as President of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts and was the first Black person to chair the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges.
Other noteworthy roles include Chair of the Trial Court Budget Commission, Chair of the Florida Innocence Commission and membership to 100 Black Men of Orlando.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Tuskegee University.
He’s received honors from the Historical Society of Central Florida, YMCA of Central Florida and South Orlando, the Jaycees Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Florida Bar’s Judge William M. Hoeveler Judicial Award for Professionalism.
Belvin has donated to Republicans, Democrats and politically unaffiliated candidates and organizations, state records show. His state-level contributions this year included $1,000 to the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee, $500 to Democratic Senate District 3 candidate Darryl Parks, $400 apiece to former Democratic state Sen. Randolph Bracy and no-party State Attorney Andrew Bain of the 9th Judicial Circuit, and $250 to Kissimmee Democratic state Rep. Jose Alvarez.
His GOP-focused contributions include $5,000 between 2018 and 2022 to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, $1,200 between 2021 and 2023 to Lake Mary Republican state Rep. Rachel Plakon and Tom Leek, who won a race this month for Senate District 7.
He’s also made $12,000 worth of federal-level donations, most recently in 2022, when he gave former Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Orlando $4,500 to support her U.S. Senate run, $1,500 to Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and $1,000 to Republican U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida’s 11th Congressional District.
According to the Florida A&M University website, Belvin’s most recent term ran from March 24, 2016, to Jan. 6, 2021.
The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees includes six members appointed by the Governor and five appointed by the Board of Governors, all of whom serve staggered five-year terms, and the Presidents of the Faculty Senate and Student Government Association, who serve one-year terms each.
Trustees serve without compensation and meet at least quarterly to make and change school policies.
