With an office only two blocks from the Manatee County Courthouse, I enjoy being in the heart of downtown and close to the river. It reminds me of how wonderful my community is and why I serve them. Growing up, I always enjoyed taking part in my community. After graduating from high school, I attended university for a year before joining the Air Force - deciding to not wait for the draft. I served in both the US and Southeast Asia for four years as an electronics technician. After my service, I moved to Bradenton and returned to school. Upon graduating from Florida State University College of Law, I served as the Governor's Attorney — Bob Graham — and since then have remained active in local, state, and national politics. I both understand and appreciate the role of politics in the local community, and I’m always happy to serve in any capacity possible. With my business background, as the co-founder of MOR Music and Coast Bank of Florida, I have first-hand experience that benefits my clients who are looking to make business investments and make business-related decisions big or small.

Admitted to the practice of Law in the state of Florida and the Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida, Trescot Gear is an aggressive litigator as well as an able legal counselor. Mr. Gear enjoys helping his clients find both legal and practical solutions for their short and long-term needs. Trescot Gear is a member of The Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section, and the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. He is a current member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Hillsborough County Bar Association Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Mr. Gear was recently granted admission as a Florida Supreme Court-certified Arbitrator. Trescot Gear is also Of Counsel at Ayo & Iken, a highly respected Tampa/St. Petersburg area civil litigation firm. Mr. Gear holds a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He is a member of Phi Alpha Delta and Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society.

Stephen Bernhardt has been an attorney since he was 25 years old. Now, nearly a decade later, Bernhardt has extensive trial experience in both criminal and civil law. He began his legal career as a prosecutor, first handling misdemeanor offenses such as DUI, Battery, Possession of Controlled Substance, Violation of Injunction and many others. Bernhardt was quickly moved to a felony division and become the State Attorney’s Office’s representative for the county’s Drug Court Program. In this role, Bernhardt learned many techniques to help individuals overcome addictions as well as the differences between the many rehabilitation establishments throughout Florida. Prior to leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt was the lead prosecutor in his division. Bernhardt conducted several jury trials that ended in convictions and sentences of more than thirty years, including a mandatory life in prison sentence. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt began practicing civil law for one of the largest creditors’ rights firms in the United States. Bernhardt quickly became the lead litigating attorney for the firm’s Florida office and handled countless civil hearings and trials before leaving to start Bernhardt Law, PLLC. Bernhardt Law focuses on the practice areas of Criminal Defense, Personal Injury and Debt Defense. Using the knowledge gained throughout the years, Bernhardt Law is dedicated to making sure each client’s specific situation is handled with the utmost professionalism, attention to detail, and integrity.