Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed David Stevens, Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, to serve as a circuit court judge.

• Stevens, a Niceville resident, currently oversees prosecutions for an entire county and manages a staff of more than 40 employees, including attorneys, investigators and support staff.

A graduate of Choctawhatchee High School, where he was a member of the Stylemarchers, Stevens earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his law degree from Regent University School of Law. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Southern Evangelical Seminary and is an ordained minister.

Stevens began his legal career as an associate attorney at a civil litigation firm in Santa Rosa Beach before joining the State Attorney’s Office in Shalimar as a prosecutor. After nearly eight years as a prosecutor, he founded Stevens Law Firm, PLLC, a criminal defense firm serving northwest Florida, which he operated for four years before returning to the State Attorney’s Office in 2023 as Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney.

Stevens lives in Niceville with his wife and young daughter. They are active members of Destiny Worship Center.

The appointment fills a judicial vacancy created by the enactment of HB 5401.