State Sen. Darryl Rouson has been appointed as a Presidential Scholar and Professor of Trial Litigation at New College of Florida, the Sarasota-based higher education institution announced Tuesday.
The announcement ends speculation about Rouson running for the Florida House. Facing term limits in his District 16 Senate seat, Rouson had considered seeking his former House seat, which Rep. Michele Rayner is vacating to pursue his Senate seat.
Rouson confirmed to Florida Politics that he will not file for Rayner’s seat.
New College has not specified when Rouson will begin his new role, but he will teach courses in trial advocacy and leadership in public life. Rouson is a trial attorney and former prosecutor who earned his law degree from the University of Florida and was the first Black prosecutor in Pinellas County. He previously served as President of the St. Petersburg NAACP and has represented the Tampa Bay area in the Legislature since 2008.
“Great lawyers are not simply trained in the law. They are trained to analyze complex questions, engage competing ideas, and communicate with clarity and conviction,” Rouson said. “Those are qualities New College has cultivated for generations, and I am honored to help carry that tradition forward.”
New College President Richard Corcoran called Rouson’s “distinguished career in the courtroom and the Legislature” an “extraordinary opportunity to learn from one of Florida’s most respected legal and public leaders.”
“His experience, judgment, and commitment to public service will be a tremendous asset to our students and our institution,” Corcoran said.
Rouson will join the New College faculty as part of a team that has prepared students for careers in law, government, and public service for decades. The program emphasizes independent scholarship, intensive writing, and close faculty mentorship. Coursework is designed to prepare students for law school and careers in public service, business, and civic leadership.
Rouson’s relationship with Corcoran goes back to Corcoran’s days in the Florida House. In 2017, as then-Speaker of the House, Corcoran appointed Rouson to the state’s Constitution Revision Commission. This body meets every 20 years to review state laws and propose possible revisions to the state constitution.
Rouson is an attorney with Emerson Straw PL in St. Pete, a trial law firm that represents victims of negligence.
Rouson was first elected to the House in 2008 and to the Senate in 2016. When he leaves office this year due to term limits, his legislative career will have spanned approximately 18 years.