Coral Messina is an Assistant State Attorney and the Smart Justice Coordinator for the State Attorney’s Office where she oversees the diversion programs and problem-solving courts. She is also responsible for research and implementation of new smart justice initiatives in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. In 2018, Messina spearheaded the development of a prosecution-led driver’s license diversion program (K.E.Y.S. 2 Drive), which is the first of its kind in Northeast Florida. For these efforts, Messina was recognized as a 2018 Women of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal.
Messina is a Barrister with the Chester Bedell Inn of Courts and is a member of the Judicial Relations Committee with the Jacksonville Bar Association. She is also the Vice President of the Florida Coastal School of Law Alumni Board of Directors.
Prior to joining the State Attorney’s Office, Messina practiced civil litigation and criminal defense. She spent seven years at the Public Defender’s Office where she worked as a Division Chief handling major crimes and sex cases.
Messina graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2008. While in law school, Messina clerked for the Honorable Robert T. Benton at the First District Court of Appeals. She was a member of the nationally-recognized Moot Court Honor Board where her team won the Southeast Regional for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Messina also served on the Faculty Appointments Committee and was the Director and Founding Member of the Student Ambassador Program.
Messina graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 where she served as a Presidential Personal Host and Florida Cicerone – a preeminent leadership and service organization. She is a lifelong Girl Scout and a resident of the beaches. In her free time, she enjoys biking and swimming with her husband and two children.
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