State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez leads a team of approximately 300 prosecutors and professional staff in two offices in Hillsborough County. Lopez and the agency are responsible for all criminal prosecutions in the 13th Judicial Circuit, handling approximately 50,000 cases every year.
A Tampa native, Lopez is a proud graduate of Plant High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and law degree from Suffolk University. Lopez worked as an attorney at the 2nd District Court of Appeal before becoming an Assistant State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2005. Lopez was appointed to serve as a County Court Judge in December of 2021.
The State Attorney is a member of several legal organizations including the Hillsborough County Bar Association, as well as the Goldburg-Cacciatore and Tampa Bay Inns of Court. Lopez is a Leadership Tampa alumna and member of the Junior League of Tampa. She is also involved in several community organizations including the Tampa Bay Chamber and Self Reliance, The Center for Independent Living, where she served as the Board Chair. Lopez has been an active member of her lifelong church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, having served as Junior Warden of the Vestry.
Lopez believes that building and maintaining strong relationships with local law enforcement helps to create a safer community for all. She has implemented strategies and policies to prevent gun violence with a focus on career offenders. In the pursuit of justice, Lopez believes that crime victim advocacy should always remain in the forefront. She personally meets with each homicide victim’s family to ensure they have the agency’s full support throughout the entire legal process.