# Woody R. Clermont

Woody R. Clermont (born in 1970), is an American attorney and African-American judge in Broward County, Florida.

## Early life

Clermont is of Haitian descent, and was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He is the first cousin of the Kangol Kid (Sean Shiller Fequiere), of the hip hop group UTFO, famous for the smash hit single, Roxanne, Roxanne.

### High school education

In 1984, Clermont passed a rigorous entrance exam, and two rounds of interviews, to be admitted to the prestigious Regis High School, a private, all-male, Jesuit, secondary school for Roman Catholic boys located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

### Undergraduate and graduate education

Clermont possesses a total of nine academic degrees: two associates degrees, three bachelors degrees, three masters degrees and a professional doctorate in law. Clermont is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, the Delta Epsilon Iota academic honor society, and the Omicron Delta Epsilon economics honor society. Clermont attended Binghamton University, at the same time fellow alumnus Congressman Hakeem Jeffries attended, receiving a bachelor of arts in political science in 1992. Clermont received his bachelor of science in mathematics from Mayville State University, his master of business administration and master of science in economics from Florida Atlantic University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. Clermont won his first-year moot court competition with his partner Gerald Chen-Young in law school. Clermont additionally received a master of science in data analytics from Western Governors University.

## Legal career
### Legal writing and publishing

Clermont was published twice in the Florida Bar Journal. Clermont additionally wrote an article about Medicare and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) in the Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law, and an article about the economics of the death penalty and the lethal injection protocol in the St. Thomas Law Review. Clermont also published an article about federal restitution in the Nova Law Review as well. In 2011, Clermont wrote a legal journal article in the Freedom Center Journal at the University of Cincinnati School of Law, calling on Americans to seek changes to the Thirteenth Amendment, arguing that the punishment clause currently allows for slavery as conviction of a crime which resulted in convict leasing, stereotypes about alleged black criminality, a prison industrial complex, and chain gangs. Filmmaker Ana DuVernay released a film about this subject, five years later, with her Emmy Award winning documentary 13th.

### Interview on Miami Boss Podcast

In an interview of the Miami Boss Podcast, Clermont discussed the case of a group of young Hispanic adults who broke into the home of then Miami Heat player Ray Allen in 2014, and how the police refused to arrest the teens originally or charge them with a crime. The Allens maintained their home was locked and that the act constituted a home invasion because Allen's wife and children were alarmed by their presence as they fled when Shannon Allen screamed. The police characterized the entry as some curious teens entering through an unlocked door believing the home was unoccupied, and that committed no criminal wrongdoing. "The suggestion that anyone can unlawfully enter into someone's locked home and then into an occupied bedroom in the middle of the night without consequences is unsettling," Allen's statement said. "Regardless of the stated or actual reason for such unlawful entry... everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes." Receiving no help from the police, the Allens had to go directly to the State Attorney's Office, to give statements, and have the prosecutors file the charges directly without police involvement; the prosecution did not file burglary, but rather several counts of misdemeanor trespass. The teens had their cases dropped after a pre-trial diversion program involved community service and a fine.

### Service on the Rules of Judicial Administration Committee of the Florida Bar

During 2015-2018, Clermont served on the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration Committee] (RJA), which has now been renamed the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Committee. Clermont served as the Vice Chair of Subcommittee C, under Chair Ed Sanchez (currently Federal Magistrate Judge Sanchez), during this time.

## Political career

Clermont served as a Commission Aide to the Miami Dade County Board of County Commissioners, between 2020 and 2021. Clermont worked in the employment of current Democratic Vice Chairman Kionne McGhee, in District 9. McGhee had previously served as the House Minority Leader, in the Florida House between 2018-2020.

### Legal and hearing officer experience

Clermont served as an Assistant State Attorney, in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office under Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, starting in 2005 and working with the office for nearly 5 years. Clermont served as Assistant Chief of DUI and Traffic Prosecution, and prosecuted misdemeanor cases with the then Assistant Public Defender Kash Patel, who would later go on to serve as Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. Clermont worked as an Assistant General Counsel and Senior Trial Court Staff Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida for nearly 11 years. During his time at the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, he assisted the then Judge Scott Silverman with legal research and writing on an order in the case of DDU Exp., Inc. v. ABC Distributing, LLC; both the former Judge Silverman and future Judge Clermont shared in common that both were members of Omicron Delta Epsilon economics Honor Society. Clermont served as an Assistant City Attorney under the City Attorney Rafael Paz, for the City of Miami Beach, between 2022 and 2024, leading its municipal prosecution team during this time. Clermont previously served as a Medicaid Fair Hearing Officer with the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA).

### Unsuccessful application to the Florida Supreme Court

Clermont had previously unsuccessfully sought appointment to the Florida Supreme Court in April of 2023, competing among a pool of 15 candidates. Justice Meredith Sasso was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the vacant seat on May 23, 2023.

## Judicial career

Clermont was the first Haitian-American male judge to be elected in Broward County. Florence Taylor Barner was the first Haitian-American judge to be elected in Broward County in 2016. Clermont was sworn in on January 7, 2025, by Chief Judge Jack Tuter and commenced his term. Judge Clermont is a County Court Judge assigned to handle Criminal division SB, and Civil Division 62. Judge Clermont's Investiture Ceremony took place on Friday, February 28, 2025.

### 2024 judicial election

Clermont defeated Alejandro "Alex" Arreaza in the August 2024 primary election for Broward County Judge Group 10, then won the general election on November 5, 2024 in a runoff against Samuel Ford Stark.

## Organizational memberships

Clermont is a silver life member of the NAACP, and pledged Kappa chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity at Syracuse University, in 1992 and is a lifetime member of the fraternity. Clermont served as Basileus of Kappa Nu chapter of Omega Psi Phi for 3 years. Clermont has been a member of Sigma Alpha chapter in Miami Gardens, Florida, and is a district life member of both the 2nd and the 7th District of Omega Psi Phi. Clermont also is involved in ministry work through his home church, the New Mount Olive Baptist Church. Clermont is also a member of the TJ Reddick Bar Association, and the Haitian Lawyers Association (HLA).