A 30 Year Tampa Bay Resident
Cathy McKyton was raised in the Tampa Bay area, and has lived in Pinellas County for seventeen (17) years. Cathy and her husband, Richard, live in St. Petersburg with their two children.
Cathy is a Florida State University graduate, having earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Marketing in 1989. After graduation, Cathy worked as a sales representative and retail manager before entering Stetson University College of Law in 1994. While at Stetson, Cathy was a Public Service Fellow, volunteered as a Guardian ad Litem, and was President of the Stetson Association for Public Interest Law. Cathy graduated “Cum Laude” in 1997, is a member in good standing with the Florida Bar, and is also licensed to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Experience
Cathy served seven (7) years as an Assistant State Attorney for the 6th Judicial Circuit, prosecuting cases ranging from Misdemeanor DUI to First Degree Murder and serving as a Lead Trial Attorney and Special Assistant in the DUI Manslaughter Squad. Since 2004, Cathy has served as an Assistant Statewide Prosecutor with the Office of Attorney General Pam Bondi. She works closely with law enforcement throughout the state of Florida taking cases from the investigative stages through to prosecution and sentencing. Cathy specializes in large scale white collar crime, including cases involving Racketeering, Mortgage Fraud, Organized Retail Crime, and Identity Theft, as well as “Pill Mills” and Trafficking in Narcotics. Cathy has taught at the St. Petersburg College Police Academy and Corrections Academy, and is a member of U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis’ Identity Theft Task Force. Throughout the course of her service with the Office of the Attorney General, Cathy has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Davis Productivity Award. The National Retail Federation has also recognized Cathy as the Prosecutor on their Case of the Year in 2008, and she also received a Sheriff’s Commendation from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Cathy has earned a reputation for being hard working, fair and ethical. Throughout her professional career, Cathy has been working to make her community a safer, stronger, and better place to live.
Family and Community
When she’s not driving her kids to school and sports practice, Cathy spends a lot of her personal time serving her community. Cathy is an eight (8) year member of the Junior League of St. Petersburg, a volunteer organization committed to community improvement. Cathy has served that organization in many positions including Membership Vice President and Community Vice President. In addition to her duties with the Junior League, Cathy is a member of the Board of Trustees for Great Explorations Children’s Museum and has served on the All Children’s Hospital Development Council. She is also active with Shore Acres Elementary School’s PTA and volunteers frequently at the school.
Cathy has spent the last seventeen years working to make our community a better place to live. Cathy has the ability, character, and demeanor to serve as one of our County Court Judges.
