Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat

| image = Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, March 2013.png

| caption = Rodriguez-Chomat in 2013

| nationality = American

| party = Republican

| office = Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

| term_label = In office

| term_start = 2011

| term_end = January 2, 2017

| predecessor = William Johnson

| successor =

| state_house1 = Florida

| district1 = 114th

| term_start1 = 1994

| term_end1 = 1998

| predecessor1 = Miguel De Grandy

| successor1 = Gaston Cantens

| birth_date= {{birth date|1945|6|28}}

| birth_place = Havana, Cuba

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|8|19|1945|6|28}}

| death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.

| death_cause = Prostate cancer

|alma_mater=St. Thomas University

|allegiance={{Flagu|United States|1960}}

|unit={{Flagdeco|United States Army}} U.S. Army Reserve}}

Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat (June 28, 1945 – August 19, 2017) was a Cuban-American politician and judge. He was a one-term member of the Florida House of Representatives representing a district in West Miami for the Republican Party from 1994 until his defeat in 1998. He served as a Judge of the Criminal and Family Divisions of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida from 2011 until his retirement in 2017.

Early life and education

Rodriguez-Chomat was born in Havana and was active in the Cuban-American lobby. He attended high school briefly but dropped out. He was educated at St. Thomas University and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.{{cite news |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article168262817.html |title=Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, a Miami judge who 'only wanted to do good', dies at 72 |newspaper=Miami Herald |access-date=August 24, 2017 |last=Ovalle |first=David |date=20 August 2017}} Rodriguez-Chomat went on to work as an accountant, an IRS agent and a tax lawyer before winning office as a lawmaker and later serving as a judge.

Career

In 2013, Rodriguez-Chomat was the subject of a viral video after a teenage girl arrested on drugs charges told Rodriguez-Chomat "adiós" as she walked off. He responded by calling her back and doubling her bond amount, to her disbelief, after which he bade her "adiós". After the girl, Penelope Soto, responded by saying "Fuck you", and gave him the middle finger, he sentenced her to 30 days in the county jail for criminal contempt of court. After she apologized at a hearing four days later, he withdrew the contempt citations and urged her to seek drug counselling.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/penelope-soto-apologizes-judge-middle-finger_n_2647527.html |title=Penelope Soto Apologizes To Judge For Flipping Him The Bird In Court |date=February 8, 2013 |access-date=August 24, 2017 |work=Huffington Post }}{{cite web |url=https://www.local10.com/news/florida/miami-dade/judge-jorge-rodriguez-chomat-dies-at-72 |title=Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat dies at 72 |first1=Liane |last1=Morejon |first2=Andrea |last2=Torres |author2-link=Andrea Torres |work=Local 10 |date=August 20, 2017 |access-date=August 24, 2017 |publisher=Berkshire Hathaway Company}}

Death

Rodriguez-Chomat died on August 19, 2017, after a long battle with prostate cancer at age 72.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024|reason=Cause of death needs citation}} He was survived by his wife, Susanita Ferro Rodriguez-Chomat and his children and stepchildren.