 From 1980 to 1981, he served as an Assistant County Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida.Following a five-year stint in private practice based in Tampa, he was appointed as a County State Judge in Hillsborough County in 1986, serving in that capacity until 1990, when he was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, serving until 1994.From 1994 to 1999, he served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.