Timothy Coon
Timothy Coon
District: County Judge
Comments
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Timothy Coon didn't see a change this year in his rank on The Ledger's biennial survey.
He still placed ninth among 10 county judges, just as he did in the last survey.
However, he did see improvements in his various scores.
His overall rating this year was 6.93 out of 10, compared to 6.67 in 2008.
His best rating was 7.61 for professional conduct, which was 7.38 in 2008. His lowest was 6.40 for written decisions, which was 6.24 in 2008.
Lawyers praised Coon as a seasoned judge with good temperament.
'Unflappable,' one lawyer wrote. 'Always cool, professional and courteous. Always considers all side of an argument.'
A few lawyers thought Coon would make a good circuit judge.
But others described him as being too lenient in sentencing defendants.
One lawyer wrote Coon 'does not follow the law,' and another offered that he 'seems to be thinking too much about retirement.'
Coon said he is considering retirement, and this could be his final term as judge.
'Nothing is written in stone,' he said. 'I've got three years to go.'
Coon said it was nice to hear some lawyers thought he was improving and that others thought he would make a good circuit judge.
'It's always gratifying to hear good comments,' said Coon. 'The bad ones you take with a grain of salt and try to keep improving.'
Coon, 61, earned his law degree from Florida State University School of Law in 1978.
He served in the State Attorney's Office and the Air Force as a judge advocate general. He was appointed to the county bench in 1995.
He and his wife live in Lakeland and have two adult sons.
| 2010 Overall | Legal Ability | Communication Ability | Written Decisions | Professional Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.93 | 6.74 | 6.98 | 6.40 | 7.61 |
Comments
Fair minded; deliberate in decisions.
Always friendly and polite to everyone who comes before him.
Exemplifies how a county court judge should act - he is perfectly suited for the job.
Always fair to all parties - does good job.
Hopefully retiring soon.
Improved a lot since the last survey.
If only he would go Circuit.
Extremely poor/weak sentencer. He is far too lenient on people with multiple DUI convictions for a county court judge.
Seems to be thinking too much about retirement.
Worst county judge.
Bright - good temperament, very fair. Our best county judge.
Unflappable. Always cool, professional, and courteous. Always considers all sides of an argument.
Fair, reasonable. Would make excellent circuit judge.
Very capable. Makes decisions and is not afraid to seek attorneys' suggestions.
Too bad.
Does not follow the law.
Always friendly and polite to everyone who comes before him.
Exemplifies how a county court judge should act - he is perfectly suited for the job.
Always fair to all parties - does good job.
Hopefully retiring soon.
Improved a lot since the last survey.
If only he would go Circuit.
Extremely poor/weak sentencer. He is far too lenient on people with multiple DUI convictions for a county court judge.
Seems to be thinking too much about retirement.
Worst county judge.
Bright - good temperament, very fair. Our best county judge.
Unflappable. Always cool, professional, and courteous. Always considers all sides of an argument.
Fair, reasonable. Would make excellent circuit judge.
Very capable. Makes decisions and is not afraid to seek attorneys' suggestions.
Too bad.
Does not follow the law.
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Timothy Coon didn't see a change this year in his rank on The Ledger's biennial survey.
He still placed ninth among 10 county judges, just as he did in the last survey.
However, he did see improvements in his various scores.
His overall rating this year was 6.93 out of 10, compared to 6.67 in 2008.
His best rating was 7.61 for professional conduct, which was 7.38 in 2008. His lowest was 6.40 for written decisions, which was 6.24 in 2008.
Lawyers praised Coon as a seasoned judge with good temperament.
'Unflappable,' one lawyer wrote. 'Always cool, professional and courteous. Always considers all side of an argument.'
A few lawyers thought Coon would make a good circuit judge.
But others described him as being too lenient in sentencing defendants.
One lawyer wrote Coon 'does not follow the law,' and another offered that he 'seems to be thinking too much about retirement.'
Coon said he is considering retirement, and this could be his final term as judge.
'Nothing is written in stone,' he said. 'I've got three years to go.'
Coon said it was nice to hear some lawyers thought he was improving and that others thought he would make a good circuit judge.
'It's always gratifying to hear good comments,' said Coon. 'The bad ones you take with a grain of salt and try to keep improving.'
Coon, 61, earned his law degree from Florida State University School of Law in 1978.
He served in the State Attorney's Office and the Air Force as a judge advocate general. He was appointed to the county bench in 1995.
He and his wife live in Lakeland and have two adult sons.
District: County Judge
Comments
Article
BY JASON GEARY
The Ledger
Timothy Coon placed ninth out of 10 Polk County judges, according to The Ledger's biennial survey of local lawyers.
Coon's overall rating was 6.67 out of 10. His highest individual category was 7.38 for professional conduct, and his lowest score was 6.24 for written decisions.
Coon ranked fifth out of seven county judges in 2006 with an overall rating of 6.79.
This year, some lawyers praised Coon, who was appointed to the county bench in 1995, with words like "fair, personable, hardworking" and "top notch."
"Professional in every respect," one wrote.
"Doesn't get enough credit," another wrote.
However, Coon was criticized by some for being slow to act and biased toward the defense.
"Comes to decisions very slowly, though they will almost always be in favor of the criminal," one lawyer wrote. "Will give the lowest sentence possible when given the opportunity."
"Too easy on crime," another wrote. "Too biased toward (the) defense."
Coon disagreed.
"I don't think that I am pro-defense or pro-prosecution. We are charged to be neutral," he said.
Coon said he holds prosecutors to their burden to prove guilt, and they must be prepared and provide sufficient evidence.
As for comments about being slow, Coon said he prefers to take his time when making decisions. "I like to take my time and consider what is appropriate and not come to a rushed decision," he said.
Coon, 59, is a 1978 graduate of Florida State University School of Law. He has served with the State Attorney's Office and the Air Force as a judge advocate general. His current term expires in 2012.
| 2008 Overall | Legal Ability | Communication Ability | Written Decisions | Professional Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.67 | 6.37 | 6.68 | 6.24 | 7.38 |
Comments
Timothy Coon
Doesn't get enough credit.
Fair, personable, hardworking.
Gets better each year.
Good judge.
Good person, good judge.
Nice guy.
Please become a circuit court judge.
Professional in every respect.
Slow but nice man, hard worker.
The most defense-biased judge in the circuit.
Too easy on crime; too biased towards defense.
Top notch.
Very fair; professional.
Doesn't get enough credit.
Fair, personable, hardworking.
Gets better each year.
Good judge.
Good person, good judge.
Nice guy.
Please become a circuit court judge.
Professional in every respect.
Slow but nice man, hard worker.
The most defense-biased judge in the circuit.
Too easy on crime; too biased towards defense.
Top notch.
Very fair; professional.
Article
BY JASON GEARY
The Ledger
Timothy Coon placed ninth out of 10 Polk County judges, according to The Ledger's biennial survey of local lawyers.
Coon's overall rating was 6.67 out of 10. His highest individual category was 7.38 for professional conduct, and his lowest score was 6.24 for written decisions.
Coon ranked fifth out of seven county judges in 2006 with an overall rating of 6.79.
This year, some lawyers praised Coon, who was appointed to the county bench in 1995, with words like "fair, personable, hardworking" and "top notch."
"Professional in every respect," one wrote.
"Doesn't get enough credit," another wrote.
However, Coon was criticized by some for being slow to act and biased toward the defense.
"Comes to decisions very slowly, though they will almost always be in favor of the criminal," one lawyer wrote. "Will give the lowest sentence possible when given the opportunity."
"Too easy on crime," another wrote. "Too biased toward (the) defense."
Coon disagreed.
"I don't think that I am pro-defense or pro-prosecution. We are charged to be neutral," he said.
Coon said he holds prosecutors to their burden to prove guilt, and they must be prepared and provide sufficient evidence.
As for comments about being slow, Coon said he prefers to take his time when making decisions. "I like to take my time and consider what is appropriate and not come to a rushed decision," he said.
Coon, 59, is a 1978 graduate of Florida State University School of Law. He has served with the State Attorney's Office and the Air Force as a judge advocate general. His current term expires in 2012.