Charlie Peppler Selected as New City Attorney

The City of Pensacola has selected Charlie Peppler as the new City Attorney, responsible for overseeing the city's Legal Department and acting as the legal advisor for the City of Pensacola and all of its elected and appointed officers.

Peppler currently serves as the Deputy County Attorney for Escambia County, where he has worked since January 2002. He graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 before attending the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, earning his juris doctorate degree in 1977. 

"I am looking forward to having Charlie join the City of Pensacola, bringing with him decades of experience and legal expertise," Mayor Grover Robinson said. "His experience working in local government combined with his dedication to community service make him a perfect fit to lead our city's legal team."

The City Attorney is appointed directly by the Mayor with the consent of City Council. Peppler's appointment is expected to go before City Council for affirmation at the July 15 City Council meeting. His tentative start date with the City of Pensacola is Monday, Sept. 20. Peppler was selected to replace current City Attorney Susan Woolf, who has been appointed as the general counsel for the University of West Florida. 

Peppler is board certified in civil trial law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education from 1997 to present. He was also board certified in criminal trial law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education from 1991 to 2001. Peppler was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1977 and is admitted to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

In representing Escambia County, Peppler is engaged in litigation involving personal injury, employment-related disputes, civil rights, insurance law, land use and construction defects and many other government-related legal issues. While in private practice, he handled cases involving workers’ compensation, insurance coverage, environmental law, government law, employment-related practices, criminal law and appeals, both civil and criminal, among many other legal matters. 

Since being in practice, Peppler has earned several awards, including the Writing Award by Florida Association of County Attorneys (2008), Community Service Award by the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association for community and civic participation (2006), President’s Award of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association for instituting “Law School for the Layman” (1990), and the Distinguished Service Award by the Dade County Bar Association for participation in the Haitian refugee pro bono project (1983, 1984).

Peppler is also active in the Pensacola community, including previously serving on the Board of Trustees for the West Florida Public Library Foundation, Board of Directors of the Pensacola YMCA, President of the Board of Trustees of the Northwest Florida Legal Services, Inc. Peppler also served as President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer and Sergeant at Arms for the Rotary Club of Pensacola Suburban West and as President of Pensacola SubWest Rotary Foundation Board, the fundraising arm of the club. In 2010, he received a Paul Harris Fellow because of his service to Rotary. 

"Being selected as the City Attorney is truly an honor, and I'd like to thank Mayor Robinson for the opportunity," Peppler said. "I'm excited to use the experience I've gained throughout my career to serve the City of Pensacola and work with the talented legal team here to best represent the city."