GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Friends and family gathered Saturday to remember former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben F. Overton.
Overton, 86, died Dec. 29th in Gainesville of complications from heart surgery, according to the Florida Supreme Court."Justice Overton was one of the most influential members of the Court after the sweeping reforms of the 1970s," said Chief Justice Ricky Polston. "He will be remembered not only for his far-seeing opinions but also for his efforts in the 1970s to make the state courts more accessible by allowing cameras into our courtrooms."
Overton spent 24 years on the bench and authored more than 1,400 decisions.
According to Chief Justice Ricky Polston, Overton not only helped make Florida one of the first states to allow television coverage of court cases, but also was instrumental in making the state Supreme Court one of the first in the world to have a website.
Overton will lie in state in the state’s Supreme Court building on Monday. Final funeral services will be held Wednesday in St. Petersburg.
